Cycle News

P18 IN THE WIND Kurt Caselli, 1983-2013 K urt Caselli passed away in an Ensenada hospital on Friday night, November 15, the immensely popular off-road racing champion succumbing to head injuries suffered in a crash in the Baja 1000 earlier that day. "Today we lost a KTM hero in the worst possible circumstances," said Pit Beirer, head of KTM Motorsports in a release issued on Saturday. "We are shocked and saddened by this tragic news and our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to Kurt's family. Kurt was much more than a very talented rider; he was also an exceptional team player. He represented and lived by the values and a passion for racing that lies at the very core of KTM. Our sport has lost more than a great rider; we have also lost an excellent ambassador for off-road racing." Initial reports from Baja indicated the Caselli had crashed his KTM/FMF/Bonanza Plumbing at mile marker 796 of the 883.1-mile race after encountering a "booby trap" on the course. Those reports were negated by SCORE's official release that stated their findings that "he apparently lost control of his KTM motorcycle in a sandy, high-speed section at approximately race-mile 792 when his team was leading in the late stages of the 883.1-mile international desert race." A report from Taylor Robert on Instagram backed up SCORE's response. Robert said his teammate Rick Brabec was the first to arrive at the crash site. Brabec reported that there was no bobby trap involved, that the crash happened far from any spectators and that no other vehicle was involved. The crash, Robert added, also happened in daylight hours and that the incident was "merely a racing accident." KTM reported later that after going over Caselli's motorcycle they found "traces on the machine that indicate he had collided with some animal, which apparently caused the crash." "We at KTM can't put into context the loss everyone in the motorcycling community is experiencing," said Jon-Erik Burleson, president of KTM North America. "Beyond his racing successes and talent as a rider, Kurt was above all else a core member of our greater off-road family that simply can't be replaced. Kurt inspired the KTM family to keep pushing the limits of racing. He was the driving force behind our renewed efforts in Baja, Hare & Hound and the International Six Days Enduro. His work ethic, attitude and graciousness will never be matched." Caselli was a multi-time AMA National Hare & Hound Champion, WORCS Champion and Kurt Caselli passed away on November 15 from injuries sustained in his crash while leading the Baja 1000. many time ISDE gold medalist as the lead for the U.S. ISDE team for the past 10 years. In January of 2013, Caselli was drafted into the factory KTM team for the Dakar Rally to replace his injured teammate Marc Coma. Caselli was impressive, winning two stages of the Dakar. The effort earned him a spot on the factory KTM rally team and he then went out and won the Desafio Ruta 40 Rally in Argentina in June – in what was only his second international rally. Tributes to the fallen champion were wide reaching as the likeable Californian had touched many. "This news saddens me even more because back in January, the Dakar had discovered a rider of great talent, but especially a

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