Polish Dakar Rally competitor Michael Hernik was found dead along Stage 3; cause of death has not yet been determined.
Polish rider Michal Hernik, 39, was found dead along Stage 3 at the 2015 Dakar Rally. The rookie Dakar competitor riding for the Farma Prom Factory Team was found at km 206 between San Juan and Chilecito.
Race organizers say that the circumstances of his death have not yet been determined and that neither Hernik nor his bike showed any signs of a crash.
Another report described Hernik as being found away from his bike with his helmet off, and suggested that his death may have been due to a medical illness.
The organization released the following statement:
“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 300m off the route at 16:03. Unfortunately the on-board doctor could only confirm the rider’s death.”
Hernik had previously competed in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and the Morocco Rally, all with the dream of one day competing at Dakar. He and a friend were racing the 2015 Dakar Rally together – an effort that Hernik described as taking two years to put together.
During his rally adventures in Africa, Hernik and his friend helped sponsor the building of an orphanage in Yaounde, Cameroon.
A message on Michal Hernik’s website describes him as a beloved friend, husband and father, and a “humble, understanding, inspiring, sensitive and a positive visionary, boldly reaching his dream. Participation in Dakar was one of the biggest…
“His smile, good energy, kindness and great faith in luck and the balance will always remain in our hearts. Rest in peace, my friend.”
