Boero dies on opening day of Dakar Rally

Argentine rider Jorge Martinez Boero died after crashing on the opening stage of the Dakar Rally on New Year's Day.

2 January 2012, 12:00am

Boero, 38, suffered the accident on board his RR 450 Beta motorbike close to the sand dunes of the Atlantic seaside city of Necochea in Buenos Aires province.

He suffered serious injuries to his thorax and cardiac arrest.

He was two kilometres from the finish of the 57km special stage held between Necochea and Energia, won by Chile's Francisco Lopez.

The Dakar rally started on January 1, 2012 and runs till January 15, 2012.