Hero MotoSports Withdraws From Dakar Rally 2020 Post Paulo Goncalves' Death

Hero MotoSports Team Rally has announced that it will withdraw from the 2020 Dakar Rally owing to the demise of its team rider Paulo Goncalves. The tragic death of Hero's most experienced rider has left the team and the entire Dakar fraternity in shock, and it out of respect for its departed teammate that Hero will not continue to pursue Dakar this year. Paulo was a Dakar veteran and passed away due to a cardiac arrest after a fall in Stage 7, 276 km into the special section.

apbsd85g

Paulo Goncalves at the 2020 Dakar Rally opening ceremony in Saudi Arabia

An official statement released from the team 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."

In a statement released by the Dakar Rally organisers, they were alerted about the crash at 10.08 am and paramedics reached the spot at 10.16 am to attend the Portuguese rider. He was found unconscious and was then airlifted to Layla Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The incident prompted the organisers to cancel Stage 8 for bikes and quads category, as a mark of respect for the Goncalves who rode the No. 8 Hero 450 motorcycle.

The loss is an even personal one for teammate Joaquim Rodrigues, who was also Goncalves' brother-in-law. Teammate CS Santosh also took to social media to express his shock over the rider's death.

Red Bull Factory Racing Team rider Toby Price had originally found Paulo unconscious and the rider took to social media to describe those eight "long" minutes before the paramedics arrived.


Paulo "Speedy" Goncalves was a veteran and this year was his 13th Dakar start since his debut in 2006. He finished in the top 10 four times before, having been a part of Honda, BMW-Husqvarna and Speedbrain in the past years, before joining Hero MotoSports in April 2019. With Hero, the 40-year-old went on to secure strong results in the 2019 Silk Way Rally and the Rally of Morocco last year. Goncalves was also the 2013 FIM Cross Country Rally World Champion, and was runner-up to Marc Coma in the 2015 Dakar Rally.

Paulo had a fantastic run this year finishing in the top 10 in several stages, while it was in Stage 3 that really showed his true Dakar-spirit when he managed to replace an engine all by himself after a long wait of six hours for the replacement parts and then continued till the end of the stage in complete darkness. While it meant he started at the back of the grid the next day, the rider made a spectacular comeback finishing fourth in Stage 4. He was ranked 46th in the general standings at the end of Stage 6.



from CarandBike - Latest News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Harley-Davidson Streetfighter Spotted In Flesh For The First Time

Image
Harley-Davidson unveiled a range of new motorcycles last year that included an adventure tourer, streetfighter and Custom range. This, along with the LiveWire electric motorcycle defines the new-age 21st century offerings from the manufacturer as it taps into newer markets and caters to an evolving customer base. Now, giving a glimpse of the new models out in the open, the new Harley-Davidson Streetfighter was spotted in the prototype version at what seems to be a trade show in the US, giving a good glimpse at motorcycle looks like in flesh. While board says 'Styling Prototype', the production-spec version of the Streetfighter is likely to stay identical to the model showcased here. In addition to the Streetfighter, the Pan America was also showcased at the same event. The production spec versions of both bikes could be unveiled at EICMA this year. Also Read: Harley-Davidson Livewire To Be Unveiled In India In August The Harley-Davidson Streetfighter is a completely new mot
Read more

Brixton 1200 To Rival Triumph Bonneville T120

Image
A 1200 cc modern classic with similar design lines as Triumph's iconic Bonneville series, has reportedly been cleared for production. The bike was showcased as a concept at last year's EICMA motorcycle show, and from the looks of it, this is a model developed in China with the Triumph Bonneville T120 in its sights. The Brixton brand though is part of Austria's KSR Group, which imports bikes from several Chinese manufacturers, including CF Moto. And while the new Bonneville rival will be manufactured in China, the design and engineering has been created at KSR's design centre in Krups, Austria. Also Read: Triumph Bonnville T120 First Ride Review The Brixton 1200 cc motorcycle has not been named yet, or a launch timeline announced So far, the company has not committed to a launch date yet, but says that it will eventually make it to production. And from the looks of it, that may well be sometime later this year, maybe even at the EICMA 2020 show in Milan, Italy, in
Read more

Zongshen Cyclone RX6 Based On Norton 650 Nearing Completion

Image
While there still doesn't seem to be a buyer for iconic British brand Norton Motorcycles which went into administration in January this year, the firm's 650 cc parallel-twin seems to be finding life in China. While Norton apparently sold off the engine rights of its 961 engine to China's Jinglang just before the brand went into administration, the deal for the 650 cc engine was finalized way back in 2017 with Chinese giant Zongshen. The 650 cc parallel-twin engine was due to be used in Norton's Atlas and Superlight models, but now it looks like that engine platform will make its debut in a Zongshen motorcycle, called the Cyclone R6. Also Read: How Much Is Norton Motorcycles Worth Now? One of the patent designs shows the Cyclone RX6 with full touring accessories and luggage Two prototypes fitted with the 650 cc parallel-twin engine were shown in China late last year, on the Zongshen Cyclone RX6 adventure bike and the RX6 sport tourer. Both bikes used Zongshen-made
Read more