Rolando Martínez suffered a moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury after being involved in an accident while practice riding for the 2025 Dakar Rally. Somos Dakar, with permission from his family, reported the news on Sunday.

Martínez had been doing enduro training in Caacupé, Paraguay, when he crashed and hit his head. He was diagnosed with a TBI and remained unconscious at the time of Somos Dakar‘s report.

“Now, we have to wait for the medical team’s work and see how Bollo’s condition develops,” reads the report. “Praying and sending positive energy to him, his family, and his friends in this difficult time.”

The 2025 Dakar Rally was set to be Martínez’s debut in the race. He had been doing rallies in his native Paraguay since 2019, winning that year’s Desafío Guaraní. He registered for the 2024 race but was turned down by the ASO for a lack of suitable experience.

To rectify his, he entered as many rounds of the World Rally-Raid Championship as he could from the time of his rejection. Martínez finished 11th in Rally2 at the 2023 Desafío Ruta 40 before crashing out of February’s Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, breaking two vertebrae in the latter that kept him out of the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid. His return to the DR 40 saw him finish seventh in class, and he received his 2025 Dakar acceptance letter a month later.

He finished 20th in Rally2 at the Rallye du Maroc in October, the final race of the W2RC and a dress rehearsal for Dakar.

In an interview with Somos Dakar in August, while competing in the Rally dos Sertões in Brazil, “Bollo” expressed hope that running Dakar would “promote cross-country rally in Paraguay.” The country is certainly no stranger to the sport and hosted a Dakar stage when it was in South America, but he noted racing is still somewhat frowned upon due to its dangers.

“The goal is to invite people and for them to understand and learn what rally is,” he explained.

Those hoping to support Martínez and his family can donate to the following bank account:

• Luis Sebastian Aguilera Burro
• ID: 1828334
• Bank: Ueno Bank
• Account number: 20757441

Featured image credit: Bastien Roux / DPPI