Paulo Gonçalves ([ˈpawlu ɣõˈsalvɨʃ]; 5 February 1979 – 12 January 2020) was a Portuguese rally racing motorcycle rider.

Gonçalves was born on 5 February 1979, in Gemeses, a civil parish in the Braga District city of Esposende in Portugal.

[1] During the 2020 edition of the Dakar rally the engine stalled in the third stage, and its withdrawal was announced, which was corrected about three hours later, as Gonçalves was trying to repair his vehicle at the same time as he was waiting for his team to arrive for assistance.

[1] He was found unconscious, resuscitated at the scene, and then flown by helicopter to a hospital in Layla, where he was pronounced dead.

[7] His death was also mourned by the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who stated that Gonçalves "died trying to achieve the dream of winning one of the hardest and most dangerous rally events in the world, in which he was always a worthy representative of Portugal, reaching second place in 2015".