Portuguese biker Paulo Gonçalves, 40, died on Sunday during the 7th stage of the Dakar rally in Saudi Arabia after being victim of a fall, the organizers announced.
Gonçalves, second in the 2015 edition and competing in his thirteenth Dakar, fell at km 276 of the special. The pilot was unconscious and in cardio-respiratory arrest when the medical team on mission arrived. After an attempt at resuscitation, he was helicoptered to the hospital, where his death was noted, the organizers said in a statement.
The Portuguese, crowned world champion in all-terrain rallying in 2013, had made his debut on the famous rally in 2006 and had finished four times in the top 10.
After having broken his engine in the third stage, he occupied 46th place in the general classification after the sixth special