Dutch motorbike racer Straver dies eight days after Dakar Rally crash

In this Friday, Jan. 10, 2020 photo, Edwin Straver of Netherlands rides his KTM motorbike during stage six of the Dakar Rally. (Bernat Armangue/AP)

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Dutch motorcycle racer Edwin Straver died eight days after crashing in the Dakar Rally, race organizers said Friday.

Straver is the second racer to die as a result of injuries sustained in this year’s edition of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia.

The 48-year-old Straver suffered serious injuries when he crashed on Jan. 16 during the rally’s penultimate stage. He was resuscitated by a medical team and airlifted to a hospital in Riyadh before being flown back to the Netherlands.

“The entire Dakar caravan would like to extend its sincere condolences to Edwin’s family and friends,” organizers said in a statement.

Another motorbike rider, Paulo Goncalves of Portugal, fell and suffered cardiac arrest about halfway through the 546-kilometre (339-mile) seventh stage.

Goncalves was the first competitor to die in the Dakar Rally, the world’s toughest rally, since Polish motorcyclist Michal Hernik in 2015 in Argentina. Two non-competitors were killed in 2016 in crashes with vehicles.

Straver was taking part in his third Dakar Rally. He won the Original by Motel class in 2019.

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