DAKAR RALLY leader Sam Sunderland was airlifted to hospital by helicopter as he quit the race with a frightening back injury.
The 29-year-old Brit battled on for five kilometres after his initial injury but was taken away after suffering “a lack of feeling” in his legs.
Sutherland became the first British racer to win any event in the famous rally across South America when he won last year’s motorbike title.
And this time he was out in front as he entered a 330km special stage at San Juan de Marcona.
But he was unable to reach the fourth checkpoint despite trying to struggle on.
Sunderland’s KTM team manager Alex Doringer told motorbike news website MCN: “It seems that when he was searching for one of the WPC [way point controls] he jumped into a big hole and suffered a big compression.
“He felt a sharp pain in his back immediately but carried on for another 5km before stopping again due to the pain and a lack of feeling in his legs.
“He said that the feeling in his legs has returned.”
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Sunderland will fly to Peru capital Lima for more tests after he was treated by team medics.
The rally’s new overall leader is Frenchman Adrian van Beveren, who won the stage.
Thsi year’s race covers Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.
It moved to South America in 2009 after previously being called the Paris-Dakar Rally.
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