Dutch motorbike rider Bram van der Wouden has died in temperatures of up to 55 Celsius while taking part in the Morocco Desert Challenge, an eight-stage off-road race second only to the Dakar Rally.

Van der Wouden, 48, is thought to have stepped off his bike several kilometres from the end of the fifth stage but was unable to press the emergency button which meant he needed assistance.

He was found by other participants but despite the quick arrival of the medical team, ‘there was nothing they could do’, the race organisers said.

‘It has been extremely hot in Morocco,’ Robin Verheggen, part of the team supporting Dutch trucker Anja van Loon, told broadcaster NOS. ‘The heat is causing a lot of problems and a number of drivers have already agreed to leave because they felt it was too dangerous.’

The rally is continuing on Friday for all types of vehicle part from the motorbikes ‘giving the riders and well needed rest day,’ the organisers said.

Verheggen told NOS that death is almost part of the sport. ‘Everyone who takes part, but motor cyclists in particular’ has accepted this could be their last race,’ he said.

Van der Wouden is the second participant to die during the rally. On Tuesday a French driver was killed in a crash with another vehicle.