The motorsports community is in shock after the death of Portuguese motorcycle rider Paulo Goncalves, who suffered a crash in the seventh stage of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia recently.
The tragedy hit home for C.S. Santosh, Goncalves’ teammate at Hero Motosports Team Rally. Santosh, in fact, rode past the site of the crash, even if he didn’t immediately realise the severity of the accident.
“I saw the medical staff administering CPR, and also saw the helicopter. I didn’t know who the rider was, as I focused on completing the stage. It was disturbing, but I told myself to keep going,” Santosh told The Hindu on Tuesday.
Terrible news
It was only when Santosh stopped to refuel was he told about the terrible news. “My heart sank when I was told that it was Paulo, and that he had passed away. Dakar didn’t feel like Dakar anymore. I rode the remaining 100 kilometres to complete the stage, but my mind kept going back to what I saw at the crash site. You never imagine that the worst could happen. It was overwhelming,” Santosh said.
The Indian rider remembers Goncalves as a great team-man. “Paulo was always jovial. The expectations sat lightly on him. He never looked at racing as a job. He created a good atmosphere where the pressure was lifted off the others riders. He gave me small tips, which were so helpful. Paulo was a real leader,” said Santosh, who is currently in Portugal to join the grieving family of Goncalves.
Goncalves, 40, was an experienced and highly-regarded rider, who finished in the top-10 at the Dakar Rally four times, and was runner-up in 2015. Hero Motosports Team Rally decided to pull out of the rally as a mark of respect.
Huge loss
“A man of his stature — it is a huge loss. He was close to so many riders,” said Santosh. The loss does not change how Santosh will approach the sport, dangers and all. “This is a big shock. It makes riders question our sense of invincibility,” Santosh said. “It will take time, but we have to deal with our emotions. Moving forward, we have to get back on our feet and start racing again. Paulo would have wanted us to keep going fast and continue to race hard — that’s what I intend to do.”
