Dutchman Bernhard ten Brinke is out of the 2021 Dakar Rally after Tuesday’s major crash in the desert of Saudi Arabia. During Stage 3 of the race near Wadi ad-Dawasir, ten Brinke’s Toyota Hilux rolled four times at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour (99.4 mph), he wrote on Twitter.
The post captioned the video of his car, turned on one side, which looks totally smashed.
We’ve had a mega crash, 160 km/ph and 4 rolls😬😢 #Dakar2021 #dakarrally #dakarcrash @tcolsoul @dakar @eurolbv @fia @ToyotaNL @HSFLogistics @tricorpworkwear @RTLGP @RTL7 @RTLnieuws @NUnl @overdriveracing @logisznl #wiggers #klompsbouwbedrijf pic.twitter.com/znDXblqc8A
— Bernhard ten Brinke (@b_tenbrinke) January 5, 2021
Fortunately, the driver and his Belgian copilot Tom Colsoul were not injured as a result of the accident.
“I am very grateful for the strong car that kept Tom and I unharmed. Thank you sponsors, fans, followers, family and friends for your unconditonal support!” the racer wrote.
DAKAR 2021 = OVER😢😱 I am very grateful for the strong car that kept Tom and I unharmed. Thank you sponsors, fans, followers, family and friends for your unconditonal support! 🙏🏼✨@tomcolsoul @dakarrally @eurolbv @overdriveracing @ToyotaNL @RTLGP @NUsport pic.twitter.com/HqkG5J9iEL
— Bernhard ten Brinke (@b_tenbrinke) January 5, 2021
The 2021 Dakar Rally is held from 3 to 15 January. This year’s race was the eighth in ten Brinke’s career. After the second stage, he was in 10th place in the overall standings. The winner of both Stage 2 and Stage 3 is Qatari driver Nasser al-Attiyah.