Italian Dakar rider arrested for archaeological site damage

Italian Dakar rider Matteo Casuccio was arrested by Chilean police during yesterday’s stage five of the race, after getting lost on the stage and riding through a protected archaeological site in the desert outside Antofagasta.

Casuccio, currently in 94th overall, and quad rider Kees Koolen were taken into custody, escorted by race officials, and held for about thirty minutes before being released pending a court summons.

Speaking to Italian newspaper La Gazetta dello Sport after being released, Casuccio said that it was a genuine accident: “We do not want to break anything and apologize for what happened. It was just a mistake!”

However, with the race set to leave Chile and enter Bolivia after today’s rest day, the incident could affect his race if Chilean police decide he cannot leave the country.