Former champion's death casts shadow over Dakar

The Dakar Rally headed for Mali today in subdued mood after the death of motorcyclist Fabrizio Meoni on stage 11.

The 47-year-old Italian, twice winner of the Dakar event, had been running second in the bike class when he crashed.

The KTM rider suffered a heart attack in the incident and was unable to be revived.

Fellow competitor David Fritigni, who witnessed the accident, said: "I immediately knew it was serious. There was a lot of bleeding."

Meoni is the second fatality on this year's rally after Spanish rider Jose Manual Perez died on Monday.