VOLUME 57 ISSUE 2 JANUARY 14, 2020 P37
has endured a topsy-turvy Dakar,
crashing heavily on Stage One
and generally lingering around
the bottom of the top 10 through-
out the seven stages run so far.
Short's best performance to date
came on Stage Five, where he
took third place behind team-
mate Pablo Quintanilla and stage
winner Price. Short now sits 12th
overall.
Short's compatriot Skyler
Howes has put in an excellent
Dakar performance thus far in the
KLYMCIW Racing Husqvarna.
The former winner of the Sonora
Rally is comfortably inside the
top 10 overall in eighth, 1:15.02s
off leader Brabec after seven
stages, his best result coming on
Stage Four with ninth place.
Howes' teammate Garrett
Poucher sits 24th overall and
Branch's American teammate
Kyle McCoy sits 67th following
Stage Seven.
The Rally was plunged into
mourning on Stage Seven, with the
death of former FIM Cross-Coun-
tries World Rally Champion and
2015 Dakar Rally runner-up, Paulo
Goncalves (Hero Motorcycles).
Organizers of the 2020 Dakar
Rally took the decision to cancel
Stage Eight in memory of Gon-
calves.
"The decease of Paulo Gon-
calves during today's Stage
Seven between Riyadh and Wadi
Al-Dawasir has left the entire
Dakar, especially the bikers, in
shock," Dakar organizers said.
"Paulo, a beloved figure of the
rally, was immensely respected
by both veterans and less experi-
enced competitors who admired
and were inspired by him. After
meeting the riders and making a
decision together with the entire
motorbike family, the organizers
have decided to cancel Stage
Eight for the motorbikes and
quads category, which was sup-
posed to take place on a loop
course around Wadi Al-Dawasir,
in order to give the riders time to
mourn their friend."
Toby Price recounted a heart-
breaking account of the accident
on his Instagram page, saying,
Andrew Short has
endured a tough
Dakar with a few
encouraging stage
results.
