Kurt Caselli, the motorcycle racer who was tragically killed last night in an accident during the Baja 1000, was not killed by a booby-trap set along the course, according to competitor for Kawasaki Taylor Robert. Reports are still unclear, but this looks like one of the few from someone actually there.
Caselli was originally reported by a number of sources, including the KTM Bicycle team, to have been killed by an obstacle in the course, commonly set up by locals to encourage high-flying jumps or just some tricky driving. While the bicycle team obviously isn't the official team of the Baja 1000 entry, it was as close as KTM got to an official statement. As of this writing, KTM still hasn't said anything, though Score International, the organizer of the race, acknowledged Caselli's death in an official statement with no mention of cause.
As with any accident, early reports can be inaccurate, and the original post about Caselli's death has been updated continuously to reflect that.
Robert's full statement is below:
I want to make something very clear and stop the rumors. Kurt Caselli did not crash because of a man made booby trap, a spectator, or any other nonsense that people are saying about his accident. My teammate Ricky Brabec was the fist person to Kurt which was in a very secluded area with no Spectators. Ivan Ramirez showed up shortly after Ricky. They decided Ricky would go get help while Ivan stayed with Kurt. Even though the news didn't come out until the night time the accident happened while there was still daylight, and didn't have anything to do with racing at night. This was merely a racing accident and had nothing to do with booby traps, spectators, or another vehicle so please stop spreading rumors.
While the cause of his death may not matter much in the long run, Caselli's life did matter. He leaves behind a family, a fiance, a team, and an incredible career. I'm sure he will be sorely missed by all that knew him.
Photo via Facebook
Kurt Caselli Not Killed By Booby-Trapped Course, Competitor Says