The Dakar Rally is vicious and has no spot for error. Unfortunately, that isn’t what BFGoodrich Performance team member Bryce Menzies and Pete Mortensen wanted to experience in real life. Six kilometers into the second stage of Dakar 2018, a misjudgement by Menzies over what he thought was “a little kicker” in the sand near Pisco, Peru sent the Mini X-Raid they were driving into an end-over-end tumble that broke Mortensen’s ankle and left both driver and co-driver bruised and disheartened.

Accidente de @FrancescTermens Bryce Menzies en el inicio de la Etapa 2 #Dakar2018 #Dakar @Automovilclick @ErickDuranDuran @zona_tuerca pic.twitter.com/YoGsLG0DAh

— ABS repuestos (@AbsChile) January 7, 2018

According to Menzies, “It’s just my ego and my emotions that are hurt (but) my co-driver ended up breaking his ankle. He’s the one that called it out and I should’ve listened. We’ll go back and work on our navigation and our notes together and hopefully come back stronger in 2019.”

Mortensen might have gotten the worse end of the wreck, but he was quick to point out the positives of the crash, praising the strength of the Mini’s roll cage and safety cell for the surprising lack of injury considering the speed and impacts of the crash.