Dakar Rally motorcycle competitor Michal Hernik, 39, of Poland was found dead today at kilometer No. 206 along Stage 3 between San Juan and Chilecito, Argentina.
In a statement, race organizers say the circumstances of his death have yet to be determined and that Hernik did not show “any external signs of an accident.”
The statement continues: “When the race management detected the loss of his Irritrack signal and was informed that he had not completed the special stage at 15:16, it decided to start a search for the rider at 15:23. An ambulance helicopter found the rider 300 meters off the route at 16:03. Unfortunately, the on-board doctor could only confirm the rider’s death.”
Hernik was competing in his very first Dakar and was running 84th in the motorcycle category. Prior to this year’s event, he had completed the 2013 Morocco Rally and 2014 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
