During the seventh stage of the Dakar Rally, motorcyclist Paulo Goncalves has passed away. He fell badly during a crash and died of his injuries.
The Portuguese moped driver crashed after 276 kilometres during the seventh stage in Saudi Arabia. The organization received a notification at 10:08 that an accident had happened. The driver was found unconscious and was taken to the hospital by helicopter within eight minutes. It has now been announced that the Portuguese has died.
The forty-year-old driver participated in his thirteenth Dakar Rally. He made his debut in 2006 and finished four times inside the top ten. He finished second in 2015, after a great duel with Marc Coma. During this edition, Goncalves was 46th in the rankings.