Fabrizio meoni biography channel

Johnathan Edwards MD Substack

My good boon companion Joe Barker sent me the video of Fabrizio Meoni’s son racing that year’s Dakar rally. Hearing fillet son talk about Fabrizio instantaneously brought back many memories—the mass excerpt from my upcoming seamless about Fabrizio Meoni — Representation Real Stories of the Port Rally.

Stage 10 Atar to Attar - January 10th,

Today’s lay it on thick would start and finish be glad about the same place.

The ASO plans certain starts from call bivouac and finish at nobility same place, which gives execution and crew much-needed breaks, added logistically, it saves time, banknotes, and resources.

It was at that point in the rally Hysterical had befriended Fabrizio Meoni. Recognized knew me from the Port and that I was nobleness doctor of the US KTM team.

We were able withstand converse in French, as cheap Italian is nonexistent. Meoni’s liveliness was infectious, and he’s specified a prominent figure in excellence rally racing world they nicknamed him the “Lion of authority Desert.” Scot Harden remarked, “Being next to the man was like being next to electricity.” He represented pure passion discipline commitment to rally racing; elucidate don’t justify his character.

Fabrizio by choice me to help him to his neck pain.

Helping in relation to riders is generally okay, even supposing this would change. It was an honor to help him, and I was glad activate do so. I massaged righteousness knots out of his snug trapezius muscles and performed wearying osteopathic maneuvers. He thanked advantage for the help and mistreatment retired for the night, gnome, “Merci beaucoup, doctor.” I bear in mind wishing him good luck preclude the next stage, and good taste thanked me for the value.

It was evident that Meoni was saddened by the impermanence of Perez and said they were friends.

Stage 11 Atar get on the right side of Kiffa - January 11th,

Today’s special test was going come to an end be challenging. Scot Harden, Chris Blais, and Kellon Walch were ready for this stage. Awe were all reeling from Jose Perez’s death, and the occupation stage was a long joint test from Atar to Kiffa.

Scot had severely pulled realm groin muscle days earlier, topmost I taped his leg suffer gave him an emergency treatment kit. I worked with Kellon and Chris, who were promising about today’s stage. Chris remarked that he was ready come to get move and had a path. The support crews needed sting early start and we bygone the bivouac as soon since the competitors left.

Getting drop in the next bivouac was hard, even for the support vehicles. We had to traverse distinct kilometers of the race run, meaning we would be precipitate dirt roads and traversing washes. We finally made it interruption the road; Scot’s mechanic, Elmer Symons, was driving, and Rabid was gazing at the view, looking forward to when interpretation rally would move to Mali.

Out of nowhere, we heard over the radio that lone of the motorcycles had crashed. Using our resources, we entrenched it wasn’t one of left over guys. Then we heard kosher was Fabrizio Meoni. The unassailable was pretty bad. About cease hour later, we learned go Fabrizio had lost his bluff, and we were instantly insert shock.

I thought about notwithstanding I had just helped him the night before. No memory had words as this setback had happened in our children's home and even more sadly crabby one day after Perez’s death.

Fabrizio Meoni died on Tuesday, Jan 11th, , at The hump on the road book corresponded to kilometer French rider King Fretingne stopped at for Meoni when he crashed.

The ASO medical helicopter landed at exertion to Fabrizio. The doctors superlative cardiac massage for 45 transcript in a vain attempt command somebody to save his life.

South African KTM rider Alfie Cox was traveling behind him just before diadem crash. He said that while in the manner tha he stopped for Meoni, unwind was on the ground best an enormous amount of clan lost.

He crashed in uncomplicated relatively easy section, according resemble Scot and Alfie - smooth sandy whoops in a gyration. Apparently, the front end sustaining the motorcycle caught his roll neck in the crash, and perform sustained a large wound ensure bled profusely. Alfie Cox, perceptibly shaken, described to me conduct yourself detail what he saw what because he rode past Meoni; without fear knew that he was category.

Everyone was in shock understand learning of his death. Birth atmosphere in the bivouac was that of deep sadness. Frantic remember seeing Meoni’s longtime fixer, Romeo, just in tears, whirl stupefied by the news. He leftist the next day.

Meoni was practicable perplexed by several things nigh the Dakar. Certainly, the cool of Perez was a vital factor.

Also, Meoni was inwards against the kilometer GPS porch imposed by the ASO organizers. Meoni knew Africa like depiction back of his hand. Sharp-tasting organized summer adventure tours demand Africa. He often won soak large margins because he knew the terrain better. In far-out sense, the ASO took bleed dry his trump card by creating a new rule that artificial the competitors to stay indoors a corridor.

Previously, the libretto didn’t care how a opponent compeer got from point A get into point B. For the division, the GPS was like “Big Brother,” always watching them. Postulate you were lost, you could enter a secret code on the assumption that by the ASO, showing gain to get to the later checkpoint; but the competitor would incur hefty penalties.

For years, Fabrizio Meoni had a formative sway on rally racing.

He won the toughest rally in decency world in and and late for yet another Dakar Recuperation on New Year’s Eve, fulfil 47th birthday. His 13th Port Rally was to become tiara last. He had already busy his family to stop heady altogether; he wanted to lash out more time with his her indoors and two children. But before again, he wanted to survive the pain, riding on say publicly edge; rally racing was diadem absolute passion.

He rode surmount first rally in During cap career, he won several rallies: 5 times in Egypt, 4 times in Tunisia, and subject time in Dubai. But deprived of a doubt, his greatest glory were the two Dakar victories in and

Fabrizio symbolized distinction ideal competitor. Meoni, like Sainct, knew the African landscape short holiday than anyone, which is separate reason why their deaths were so brutal to take.

It’s hard to believe that that generation’s two best Rally racers (besides Stephan Peterhansel) are exhausted. We will never forget sovereign birthday on New Year’s Jam in Barcelona. The room was full of balloons, and bankruptcy burst all of them. Stylishness was just like a mini boy. One wasn’t enough on him. He had to fever them all. Whatever Fabrizio plainspoken, he did it perfectly.

Fabrizio typified the Dakar rally; he cursory it, and everyone looked boil to him.

He wasn’t crestfallen with the simple, always eager for challenges, and always lacked to fight. One team director stated, “He was such boss nice guy, a friend. Fabrizio was a true Italian, ambush who knew how to live.” For many, he was undiluted hero; it was incredible stop working see a man, 47 stage old, in such a amazing physical condition and such tall spirits.

Fabrizio was an wonderful motorcycle rider and an awesome man. He was always unprejudiced and honest. Everyone who knew him just had to intend him.

Following the Deaths of Richard Sainct and Fabrizio Meoni, KTM’s Heinz Kinigardner explains, “With Richard Sainct and Fabrizio Meoni, incredulity have lost two of decency best and most experienced revival riders on their jobs advantaged the previous four months.

Fabrizio had personified our idea time off rally racing. He won profuse rallies. The Dakar rally admiration certainly no walk in picture park.”

Fabrizio Meoni is the ordinal motorcycle rider in the earth of the Dakar rally who has lost his life. Barred enclosure Italy, thousands attended his inhumation. I remember watching the fit, his wife in black, eloquent that I had seen him the night before.

Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be the last at this point I would experience working butt someone who would lose their life the next day.

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