- Joined
- Sep 7, 2010
- Messages
- 13,899
- Location
- Spain
The Portuguese motorcycle rider Paulo Gonçalves died after a crash in the seventh stage of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, organisers said.
The 40-year-old Hero Motosports entrant, taking part in his 13th Dakar Rally since making his debut in 2006, fell after 276km of the special stage from the capital Riyadh to Wadi al-Dawasir.
“The organisers received an alert at 10:08 and dispatched a medical helicopter that reached the biker at 10:16 and found him unconscious after going into cardiac arrest,”
“Following resuscitation efforts in situ, the competitor was taken by helicopter to Layla Hospital, where he was sadly pronounced dead. The entire Dakar caravan would like to extend its sincere condolences to his friends and family.”
Gonçalves was the first competitor to die in the gruelling endurance event since the Polish Motorcycle Rides Michal Hernik in Argentina in 2015.
The Portuguese finished in the top 10 at the Dakar Rally four times and was runner-up in 2015 to the Spaniard Marc Coma, who is competing this year as co-driver to the double Formula One champion Fernando Alonso.
Paulo Gonçalves (@goncalvesspeedy) • Instagram photos and videos
51K Followers, 78 Following, 227 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Paulo Gonçalves (@goncalvesspeedy)
www.instagram.com
Paulo Gonçalves
Paulo Gonçalves. 120,706 likes · 22 talking about this. Paulo Gonçalves é piloto profissional de Motociclismo TT na equipa HERO, Campeão do Mundo em 2013, Vice-Campeão em 2014 e 2.º Classificado no...
www.facebook.com
