Dakar 2020: Sad Day For Hero Following Paulo’s Demise

Jan 12, 2020
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2 min read

Sherco-TVS Racing boys finish in the top 15

The Dakar Rally claimed another life as Hero MotoSports’ experienced rider, Paulo Goncalves, passed away on Stage 7 due to a cardiac arrest. Paulo was one of the strongest riders in the field, earning a top ten finish on almost all days of the rally so far barring one. His Hero teammates and several top riders like Toby Price, Kevin Benavides and Stefan Svitko who were contending for the rally victory had stopped to help out the befallen Goncalves until the medic helicopter flew him out to the nearest hospital. Sadly, he was proclaimed dead upon arrival at the Layla Hospital.

With Sebastian Buhler and Joaquim Rodrigues already out of rally contention and participating in the Dakar Experience category, the only eligible Hero rider remaining is CS Santosh. While there aren’t many details arriving from Saudi Arabia, it seems that Santosh might have been told by his teammates to continue the stage while they stopped to help out Paulo. He claimed 32nd on the day, which does see him rise up to 35th in the overall classification.

Over at Sherco-TVS Racing’s camp, the team’s two remaining riders, Adrien Metge and Lorenzo Santolino, put up a strong show. The two riders finished 13th and 15th on the day, helping the team’s cause for a top ten finish. Metge currently lies 11th in the overall classifications, a 20-minute time deficit on 10th placed Stefan Svitko. Santolino is 16th in the general standings as he is trailing Spaniard Jaume Betriu by 10 minutes.

Harith Noah’s run in the Dakar Experience class continues to prove that had he not had his problems on Stage 3, he would have been pushing for a top 50 finish. Noah’s efforts on the day were enough for him to finish right behind Santosh.

It will be a grim evening in the bivouac with the riders still reeling from the loss of the legendary Goncalves. We await to hear from team Hero whether it will continue to its 2020 Dakar campaign or not. It is possible that Joaquim might end his Dakar Experience run. Not only was Goncalves his teammate but also his brother-in-law, which only makes the situation a lot worse for him. Our condolences are with him and his family as well as the Hero team.

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