Update on the condition of Dario Cecconi

During the Senior Support Race at the Tandragee 100 road races on Saturday the 22th of April, Italian rider Dario Cecconi was involved in a bad crash in the fasts section of Bells Cross. 

Dario Cecconi during Tandragee 100 qualifying on Friday (Pictured by his friend Chris Usal, who is by Dario’s side at the hospital)

It was Cecconi’s sixth time at the beautiful road race in Northern Ireland and he was well known by everybody and called “the much loved Italian rider”. He used to travel alone to the races with his van and his bike, but this time Dario rented a Yamaha R6 from the English Team FR Racing; he was also doing very well, qualifying in ninth place out of 36 starters on Friday.

Due to a bad start on race day, Cecconi found himself in 18th position and he started a recovery until 15th place; during the last lap, while he was battling with another rider, Dario was involved in a crash he just couldn’t avoid. The other rider escaped with minor injuries, but Dario’s conditions looked very serious straight away.

Cecconi was escorted by the police to the Craigavon Area Hospital, where he was treated in the best way but, after almost 3 days from the incident, he still is in critical conditions with severe injuries. He is very serious but stable at the moment.

As the family is reaching him, Dario is not left alone for a minute, surrounded by his most trusted Northern Ireland friends, in a place that he calls “my second home”, where he is known as “the paddy Italian stallion”, “mad spaghetti” or “our adopted Italian son”. A really nice guy who just loved to race in Northern Ireland, especially in Tandragee.

A Just Giving page has been set up to help raise money for Dario’s family, who wants to thank all the staff of the hospital and all the people who are helping Dario in this moment; the family will devolve the money raised to the Injured Riders Welfare Fund.