Dakar Rally organisers in Argentina hunted for clues to the cause of the death of motorbike rider Michal Hernik that plunged the race into mourning after only three days.
The 39-year-old Polish rider's body was found 300 metres from a desert track with no apparent injury and no damage to his motorbike that would indicate an accident, according to race director Etienne Lavigne.
Lavigne added that there was no helmet on Hernik when the body was found.
"The circumstances surrounding his death have yet to be determined, as the competitor did not show any external signs of an accident," said a statement by the rally organisers.
Organisers sent a helicopter to look for Hernik after he failed to arrive at the finish line of Tuesday's stage between the Argentinian towns of Villa Carlos Paz and Chilecito.
His satellite tracker had stopped sending signals.