Bahrain Raid Xtreme has had to put all Dakar Rally preparations on hold after suffering a major fire while testing earlier this week, which injured a team member.
BRX was due to compete in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge this weekend and had been undertaking a week-long test in Dubai ahead of the event, but a fire broke out whilst the team were refueling one of its Prodrive Hunter T1+ cars.
A team technician suffered severe burns in the fire and was treated by the team’s paramedics on-site before being taken to a local hospital.
A statement released by the team said: “On Monday this week (November 1) during a week-long test program in Dubai, the BRX team suffered a major fire while refueling one of its cars.
“One of the team’s technicians suffered severe burns. He was treated immediately by the team’s paramedics and taken to a local hospital by the on-site ambulance.
“He has subsequently been moved to a specialist burns unit in Dubai where he is undergoing treatment.
“Clearly all the team’s thoughts and focus are on the welfare of our injured team-mate and his family.”
In light of the incident, BRX has withdrawn from this weekend’s Desert Challenge and has paused its development program for the time being.
The statement added: “After discussion with the whole team, including the drivers, we have decided it is not appropriate to compete on this weekend’s event.
“We are currently undertaking a full investigation into the incident and co-operating with the local police and fire service, who promptly attended the scene.
“The team will return to its test and development program later this month with the focus on a successful participation at Dakar Rally in January.”
Sébastien Loeb and Nani Roma were scheduled to compete in Abu Dhabi.
The Desert Challenge begins today (Friday November 5) and ends on Thursday November 11. Toyota’s Erik van Loon is a favorite for victory in the new T1+ version of the Hilux.
