“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 19th 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 70th 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 74th 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.”
