Profile of RUI GONÇALVES - SHERCO TVS RALLY FACTORY - Dakar

N°19 Bike SHERCO RALLY FACTORY

JAN BRABEC

HARITH NOAH

RUI GONÇALVES

(prt) Born on 17/05/1985 1.72m / 76kg

Hobbies

Trial riding

“Hopefully we can put all the pieces of the jigsaw together”

RIDER FACTS

With 17 seasons in top level moto-x, including a runner up spot in the MX2 World Championship, Rui Gonçalves knows how to ride a dirt bike.
However, he came late to rally raid, making his Dakar debut in 2021 at the age of 35 with only the Andalucia Rally as preparation. He nevertheless finished 19^th overall and third best rookie behind Daniel Sanders and Tosha Schareina.
On the 2022 Dakar, Rui had a difficult first stage, finishing way down in 70^th place, but he managed to regroup with a best result of third on stage 4.
Dakar 2023 didn’t go at all according to plan, with the Sherco rider going out with a mechanical problem on stage 6.
Dakar 2024 was even more complicated. Mechanical issues meant Rui struggled to finish the 48h chrono stage in 74^th place and in the process wreaked any chance of a decent overall result. The second week went better, with a couple of stages in the Top 10, before a big crash on the penultimate stage put him out of the race.

2025 AMBITIONS

“I hurt my shoulder just 12 kms into the stage and had to be airlifted to hospital. I had one operation in Saudi Arabia and another one when I got home to Portugal. The recovery time was long and I was out of action for at least 3 months but now happily I’m fully fit. Since then, we’ve been hard at work testing and improving the bike with our only race this year being the Rallye du Maroc in October. Hopefully we’ll have a good couple of weeks in January and be able to put together all the pieces of the jigsaw.”

Vehicle

SHERCO RALLY FACTORY

SHERCO 450 SEF RALLY
SHERCO TVS RALLY FACTORY

Mark SHERCO
Model 450 SEF RALLY
Engine 449 cc, monocylinder, 4 stroke
Frame double steel cradle
Power 70 cv.
Weight 135 kg
Tank capacity 34 litros
Performance tuner Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team
Assistance Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team
Class Rally GP

Ranking 2025

All news of R. Gonçalves

Two bikers have completed 100 km

The first bikers have completed 100 km of the special, which is still being opened by Michael Docherty and Rui Gonçalves. They are now fifty kilometres from the finishing line on today’s special, which was shortened to 152 kilometres this morning.

Gonçalves opens with Docherty

Michael Docherty has not opened the way alone for long. The South African has been caught up with by Rui Gonçalves, who set off three minutes later. The two men are now opening the stage, with Tobias Ebster pursuing them.

When opportunity knocks, Docherty and Roma answer the door

FOCUS

The Empty Quarter has to be earned. Dakar entrants had to wait until stage 10 to frolic on its dunes. The field rolled out of Haradh before the sun peeked over the horizon to tackle a road section of more than 500 kilometres en route to the shores of the Arabian Gulf. The time had come to surf a sea of dunes, where the Big Kahunas rule the waves, for 117 kilometres...

Michael Docherty opens his account!

This is a win for Michael Docherty, the second-ever Rally 2 rider in history to win a Dakar stage, after Danilo Petrucci in 2022! The South African claimed his first career victory, 1′20″ ahead of Rui Gonçalves and 2′21″ ahead of Tobias Ebster. Stefan Svitko finished fourth, 5′10″ behind, marking his best result of the year. Edgar Canet...

Only Gonçalves and Ebster can bump Docherty now

Michael Docherty has just crossed the finish line with the best time, 5′10″ ahead of Stefan Svitko and 5′34″ ahead of Edgar Canet. The South African could become the second-ever Rally 2 rider to win an overall stage after Danilo Petrucci in 2022. However, we will have to wait for Rui Gonçalves and Tobias Ebster, who were close behind him at the...

Mano a mano between Docherty and Gonçalves

Michael Docherty and Rui Gonçalves have once again posted the two fastest times at km 82. The South African has seen his buffer over the Portuguese rider shrink from 1′02″ to 43 seconds. Both are still chasing their maiden Dakar win.

Two Shercos neck and neck

The Sherco Rally Factory teammates Lorenzo Santolino and Rui Gonçalves are locked in a fierce battle for eleventh place in the Dakar, with just 24 seconds splitting the pair! That is the gap between the Spaniard and his Portuguese brother in arms in the virtual standings at the 40 km time check.

Santolino resumes racing

Lorenzo Santolino has managed to repair his electrical problem. The Sherco rider is on the move again after losing almost one hour. As a result, he drops into 11th place in the general rankings of the Dakar, just several seconds ahead of his team-mate Rui Gonçalves.