Matthias Walkner out of 2024 Dakar Rally with broken leg

Red Bull KTM riders Matthias Walkner and Kevin Benavides both crash in the same week on USA training camp – Austrian is ruled out of 2024 Dakar Rally with a broken tibia, fibula, and ankle.

What is it with rally riders breaking their legs in treaining crashes? It seems like too many riders are finding themselves on the side-lines and out of major races due to crashes with broken legs just lately and the trend is hitting Red Bull KTM harder than most.

Adding to the list this week is Red Bull KTM rider Matthias Walkner who crashed while training in on Monday, badly breaking his tibia, fibula, and ankle joint. 

In fact it has been a tough few days for the KTM team with Kevin Benavides also injuring his left leg while testing on Sunday, December 3.

The 2023 Dakar winner’s injury is deemed not too serious and he is expected to be on the start line in Al Ula on January 5.

The former Dakar winner Walkner, however, is not so lucky. He was flown to hospital in Palm Springs where he underwent successful surgery, his team report, and will require a further surgery at home in Austria.

It is rumoured the 2024 Dakar might have been Walkner’s last, so this bad injury could potentially spell the end of the his career.

Andreas Hölzl – Rally Team Manager: “It’s been a very difficult few days for the team here in the United States. Training for the Dakar had been going extremely well, with all riders working very hard. Kevin damaged his leg last Sunday, but thankfully, it wasn’t too bad. We hope he will be back to near full fitness by Dakar.

“On Monday, Matthias had a nasty crash while training, which ended up in him having several fractures. The surgery went really well, and they have attached a fixator to his left leg to help the recovery. But he will require more surgery, once the swelling starts to go down.

“Obviously, these two incidents have been a massive blow to the team, but we will continue to look ahead and do all we can to be as strong as possible for Dakar. The whole team wishes both Matthias and Kevin a quick and full recovery.”