Veteran off-road motorcycle racer, Kurt Caselli, died Friday while competing in the grueling Baja 1000 in Mexico, the world’s biggest dirt bike race.
Caselli’s chase driver, Jason Ortiz, was one of the last people to see him alive. Ortiz told KTLA that the 30-year-old Palmdale racer was in the lead with just 100 miles to go when he made a pit stop to gas up.
Minutes later, Caselli reportedly struck an animal and lost control of his bike. He died from severe head trauma.
Caselli was one of the most highly decorated athletes in off-road racing. He won the 2011, 2012 and 2013 American Motorcyclist Association National Hare & Hound National Championships He was also named the AMA Sportsman of the Year in 2007.
Kareen Wynter reports from Palmdale for the KTLA 5 News at 10 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 18, 2013.
