China's top rally driver Xu Lang, a veteran of two Dakar rallies, has died after being hit in the face by a tow hook.

He was taking part in an endurance race in Russia.

Xu, who had stopped to help another driver during the fourth leg of the Transoriental rally on Monday, was killed after the tow cable on the recovery vehicle snapped.

A medical team arrived by helicopter 10 minutes later but Xu died in a local hospital in Orenburg, Russia on Tuesday.

"Zhengzhou Nissan and the Team Dessoude, all deeply affected by this tragedy, extend their sincere condolences to his family and friends," said a team statement.

Xu, who was 19th in the Dakar rally in 2006, was not wearing his helmet when struck, according to Yan Jianchang, director of the Chinese Federation of Automobile Sports.

"I am very sad about the accident, but I have to say this is a lesson for us," Yan told Sina.com.

"It makes us understand that rallying is the most dangerous sport in the world. To enhance the drivers' safety, awareness will be on the top of our agenda in the future."

French motorcyclist Philippe Tonin died during the sixth stage of the rally on Tuesday when he was involved in a collision with one of the competing trucks.

The Transoriental rally started in St Petersburg on June 12 and will travel through Kazakhstan before arriving in Beijing on June 28.

Reuters