Rally veteran Paulo Goncalves who raced alongside Hero MotoCorp succumbed to injuries after an accident during Stage 7 of the 2020 Dakar Rally. The 40-year-old Portuguese suffered a crash 276km into yesterday’s stage. After receiving an alert at 10:08 am SAST, the organisers dispatched a medical helicopter that reached the spot at 10:16 am to find the rider unconscious after going into a cardiac arrest. He was then flown to Layla Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Following the accident, Hero MotoCorp issued an official statement which read – ““The entire Hero MotoSports Team is in deep mourning after the tragic demise of our rider Paulo Goncalves on Sunday. With immense respect for our departed teammate, Hero MotoSports will not continue its participation at the Dakar Rally 2020. The other riders, along with the team management and support staff, will join the grieving family of Paulo.”
Through the course of his career, Goncalves has bagged 23 titles in various motocross, supercross and endure championships across the world. This year’s season marked the rider’s 13th time and the first time competing for an Indian rally team. He had made his debut at the Dakar Rally in 2006 and has finished in top 0 four times, even finishing as a runner-up in 2015.
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