• Dakar: The pilot Paulo Gonçalves dies in a "too fast" stage
  • Alonso, one step away from his first stage victory

Toby Price was the first to arrive at Paulo Gonçalves when the Portuguese suffered the fatal accident this Sunday, at kilometer 276 of the seventh stage of the Dakar Rally . The last test winner tried to promptly alert medical assistants, but unfortunately, they couldn't do anything to save the pilot's life.

"It was a fast lane on an open plateau, gas at full speed. The GPS alarm rang, I looked up and saw a black spot in the distance. It's never good, because we were driving very fast. I got there and saw Paulo in the ground . I immediately understood that he was serious. I tried to do everything possible, to revive him to respond, "describes the Australian in an AFP interview. "We called the helicopters and the management of the race as quickly as possible. I tried to put it aside, because his back had probably suffered damage. We continued to ask for help and they told us that the helicopter was arriving. We continued to check his vital organs. Unfortunately, we didn't get an answer, "admits Price.

The KTM rider also spoke on the controversy of the excessive speed of the stage between Riyadh and Wadi Al Dawasair . "It is true that this special was very fast, it ran at 120 km / h on average. When we drive at these speeds, it is difficult to look away from the track, look at the road book to verify that you are making the right decision," He pronounced, although he acknowledged that "it is no one's fault." "When it's your time, it's your time. Unfortunately, yesterday (Sunday) was Paulo's day. I'm glad we were with him as long as possible. I remember that in 2017 he stopped when I broke my leg to try to comfort me." continued.

"Everyone respected him very much, he was always smiling , always happy at the camp. We know the risks we run, we just wait and pray that nothing happens to us," Price said about Gonçalves. "Every day when we get on our motorcycles, we know that we are risking our lives," he concluded.

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