E-Paper
Hero pulls out of Dakar after rider Paulo Goncalves’ death
Most rallyists turned out in the common space of the bivouac on Sunday evening to pay tribute to Paulo Goncalves, whose best in Dakar was a runner-up finish in 2015.
Hero MotoSports, one of the two Indian teams in the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, pulled out on Monday, a day after their rider Paulo Goncalves died in a crash. The experienced Portuguese rider died following a crash in the 546km seventh special stage, between Riyadh and Wadi Al-Dawasir.
“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 team said in a statement. “The other riders, along with the team management and support staff, will join the grieving family of Paulo.”
The rally organisers decided to cancel the eighth stage for bikes and quads. “After meeting the riders and making a decision together with the entire motorbike family, the organisers have decided to cancel Stage 8 for the motorbikes and quads category, which was supposed to take place on a loop course around Wadi Al-Dawasir, to give the riders time to mourn their friend,” they said in a statement.
Most rallyists turned out in the common space of the bivouac on Sunday evening to pay tribute to Goncalves, whose best in Dakar was a runner-up finish in 2015.
Hero’s exit means there will be no Indian finisher this time. Goncalves’ teammate CS Santosh will not finish the rally for a second year, after crashing out in the 2019 edition in Peru. Santosh was a respectable 35th after the seventh stage when his team pulled out.
The second Indian rider, debutant Harith Noah of Sherco TVS Rally, crashed out in the third stage.
