KTM considers Dakar pull-out after Meoni death

Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM is considering its future in the Dakar rally following the death of Italian rider Fabrizio Meoni on Tuesday.

Race organisers cancelled yesterday's 12th stage following Meoni's death, with the competitors flying straight to Bamako for the next stage.

KTM issued a statement in which it urged all its riders to withdraw from this year's race, although it said it was up to individuals to decide whether or not to continue.

Meoni, twice a former Dakar winner, died from a heart attack after a crash during stage 11. His death came a day after Spanish KTM rider Jose Manuel Perez, who crashed during a stage last week, died from his injuries in hospital.

In September, French KTM rider Richard Sainct, a three times former winner of the Dakar rally, died after a crash in the Pharaohs Rally.