Manuel Lucchese will likely have to wait until 2028 at the soonest for his next Dakar Rally.

He was supposed to make his seventh start at this year’s edition, competing in Malle Moto, but had a bad crash in December that resulted in fractures of his C4, D4, D5, and D6 vertebrae. Later evaluations revealed he also broke his shoulder and hand in several places.

Titanium plating was added to help his vertebrae recover. Should his condition improve, he expects to undergo another surgery in seven to eight months to remove it. In the meantime, he will be spending the next five weeks in hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

“Maybe we can make it to Dakar 2028 but only if I have recovered 100%,” wrote Lucchese.

Lucchese finished 51st in Rally2 and 12th in Original by Motul at his last Dakar in 2025. He made his debut in 2012, competing on a bike before trying out being a navigator in 2023.

Featured image credit: Rally Zone