Your basket is currently empty!
Tag: Hero MotoSports Team Rally
-
Hero MotoSports’ Ross Branch wins 2nd place: Dakar 2024
Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, has created history becoming the first ever Indian manufacturer team to finish on the podium of the legendary Dakar Rally.
Ross Branch finished the Rally at the second place for the team. His consistent performance over the 12 stages saw him at the first and second spots in the overall rankings throughout the Rally. For the Indian manufacturer this is a phenomenal achievement and a solid validation for the many years of effort put into their racing program. The growth curve for the team has also been steep in the last few years – raking up a first Stage Win at Dakar 2022, doubling it to 2 Stage Wins in 2023, and eventually finishing on the podium in this edition. The team achieved two stage wins during this edition.
Hero MotoSports Team Rally was formed in 2016 and it participated in its first Dakar Rally in 2017. Over the years, the team has achieved multiple podiums, wins and stage wins at top rally-raids across the world. This edition of the Rally was extremely grueling and saw three of the four Hero riders drop out of the race during the first week – Joaquim Rodrigues and Sebastian Buhler suffered injuries, while Joan Barreda who displayed a fantastic performance in the first week, exited due to an unfortunate mechanical failure in Stage 6. The pressure on Ross Branch to continue in the race and continue in the top order was tremendous. However, the Botswanan Hero made it look easy – conquering every mile with a broad smile.
Dr. Arun Jaura, Chief Technology Officer, Hero MotoCorp and Team Principal, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: “This is a fantastic result for our young team! Hero MotoSports is truly the flag bearer of Indian motorsport. A few years ago, no one could have imagined that an Indian manufacturer team will be on the podium of Dakar Rally. Huge congratulations to Ross, Waffi and the entire team for this massive achievement. We will continue to build on this result.” Wolfgang Fischer, Team Manager & Head, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: “Truly a sensational result. It’s a big reward to reach the podium today. We started many years ago as small set-up within Hero MotoCorp and building on that every year we have reached here. So, many people have worked hard for us to reach here. We had a tough time in the first week of the Rally losing three of our four riders. However, Rossi carried forward our hopes, keeping a cool head to bring home success in this very difficult Dakar. At the end, by overcoming many obstacles we are on the podium. This 2nd place podium I want to dedicate to Paulo Goncalves, we carry his never-give-up attitude deeply in our team.” In its fifth year at Saudi Arabia, the 2024 edition was undoubtedly the toughest Dakar so far – longer stages, extreme terrains, and confusing navigation right from the start. Two new formats of racing were also introduced by the organizers to add more spice – a marathon stage early on in the race, and a 48H chrono stage during which the competitors were split across several bivouacs – away from their teams, and surviving on bare minimum essentials. As many as one-third of the competitors who started the race retired from the rally across the 14 days of grind. To get to a Dakar podium is no small feat – a thousand things need to be right, and yet, each kilometer of these many thousands can destroy a result with a tiny mistake. 8,000 kilometers at the world’s toughest rally conquered with a top-2 result – Hero has made it clear they’re here to stay.
Dr. Arun Jaura, Chief Technology Officer, Hero MotoCorp and Team Principal, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: “This is a fantastic result for our young team! Hero MotoSports is truly the flag bearer of Indian motorsport. A few years ago, no one could have imagined that an Indian manufacturer team will be on the podium of Dakar Rally. Huge congratulations to Ross, Waffi and the entire team for this massive achievement. We will continue to build on this result.”
Wolfgang Fischer, Team Manager & Head, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: “Truly a sensational result. It’s a big reward to reach the podium today. We started many years ago as small set-up within Hero MotoCorp and building on that every year we have reached here. So, many people have worked hard for us to reach here. We had a tough time in the first week of the Rally losing three of our four riders. However, Rossi carried forward our hopes, keeping a cool head to bring home success in this very difficult Dakar. At the end, by overcoming many obstacles we are on the podium. This 2nd place podium I want to dedicate to Paulo Goncalves, we carry his never-give-up attitude deeply in our team.”
“Many thanks to the Chairman Dr. Munjal, the entire Hero family across the globe and all our fans, supporters and partners. We will continue to build on this success.”
Ross Branch, Team Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: “Finally finished the Dakar!! It was a really tough Dakar 2024, and I’m so thrilled to be here! Finishing on the podium was always the goal, and today it’s a dream come true. I’m really over the moon to achieve this goal for Hero. And a big thank you to the team for developing a highly competitive machine, for the sleepless 3 weeks here, and for everything they’ve sacrificed to reach to this point. I’m really proud of my team. We’ve got some more work to do to be on the next step, so we’ll look forward to that in the next year. A big thank you to everyone for your continued support from all around the world!”
-
Pune mariner Ashish Raorane completes Stage 4 in P28
Abu Dhabi, 2 March 2023: Indian star Ashish Raorane, the mariner from Pune, continued his onward march completing one more day with guts and determination braving an injury and finished Stage 4, a noteworthy 28th Overall, in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge on Day 5 on Thursday.
The gutsy rider clocked 5 hours, 37min, 50seconds and was 1hr,50:42sec behind the leaders including a penalty time of nine minutes but his daring feat carrying a painful arm made it all the more sweet. The Indian needs to finish the last stage tomorrow to put one more international rally raid event under his belt.
He finished 15th in Rally2 class today for a cumulative standing of 11th in his class and Overall P28 today and his 28th in the Overall standings remains as it is.
Earlier in the morning, a thick blanket of fog descended upon the penultimate stage, delaying the start of the motorbike race by two hours and shortening the car special to 173 kilometres.
The #34 Xraids Experience rider has encountered a fall on Day 2 and met his worse incident yesterday where he suffered a ruptured bicep muscle but bravely recovered and continued for another about 100Km. Today the disciplined warrior lost a bit of time but successfully conquered the marathon stage.
Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) claimed his second win in the motorbike category, while Pablo Quintanilla, who started the stage in second place overall, is out of contention after his Honda gave up the ghost 250 km into the special. His teammate Adrien Van Beveren still tops the leader board.
In the cars section, Sébastien Loeb (Bahrain Raid Xtreme) took the car stage. Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing) is more than 10 minutes clear of Martin Prokop (Benzina Orlen Team) and 20 minutes ahead of Denis Krotov (X-raid Mini JCW) in the overall.
FIM: Hero’s Ross Branch third
Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna Factory Racing) grabbed his second stage win after dominating the special from A to Z. Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy Honda), who seized the overall lead two days ago, finished second on the day at 3′22″.
Ross Branch (Hero MotoSports) came in third at 4′06″. Toby Price (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) finished seventh at 9′01″ after opening the way this morning. Benavides surged up the general standings, where he is now the Frenchman’s closest pursuer at 2′58″.
The Chilean Nacho Cornejo has finally placed his Honda on the provisional podium, 6′14″ behind his teammate. Ross Branch (Hero MotoSports) is fourth at 6′38″. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna Factory Racing) sits in fifth place at 7′16″.
Toby Price slipped down to sixth at 8′35″. Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda) is seventh at 8′52″. Less than 9 minutes separate the top 7. Benavides will be starting tomorrow’s stage right before the overall leader —an unenviable position for the Argentinian to find himself in.
However, other riders are in with a shout too, with the next five competitors in the standings a mere 6 to 9 minutes off the pace. The race is still wide open among the top 7, who will settle their differences in a finale stretching for more than 200 kilometres.
In the Rally2 category, Paolo Lucci, the hegemon of the race since Day 1, conceded buckets of time following a crash with 20 kilometres to go. The BAS World KTM Racing rider surrendered the lead to Jean-Loup Lepan (Duust Diverse Racing) and is now almost 11 minutes down.
In the quad race, Abdulaziz Ahli (Abu Dhabi Team) picked up his third victory by over 16 minutes on Laisvydas Kancius (AG Dakar School), padding his overall lead and all but wrapping up his third title in a row.
-
Caimi 16th in Stage 4; J Rod crashes out: Dakar 2023
Ha’il (Saudi Arabia) 4 Jan 2023: Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, endured an exceptionally tough day at the Dakar Rally 2023.
Franco Caimi finished Stage 4 in the 16th position, followed by Sebastian Buhler in the 22nd and Ross Branch in the 23rd positions in the Rally GP class. Joaquim Rodrigues met with an unfortunate crash around the 90kms mark, due to which he had to exit from the race.
Living up to its expectation of being “the toughest Dakar so far in Saudi”, Dakar 2023 has been throwing varied challenges to competitors since Day 1. With unusually tall sand dunes and tricky navigation through sandy tracks, Stage 4 was not short of drama.
Joaquim Rodrigues is the latest in the list of top competitors who have exited the Dakar 2023 due to injury. Around the 90km mark today, JRod suffered a fall that rendered him immovable due to a broken left femur. Airlifted to the hospital in Ha’il by the Dakar medical assistance team, JRod will now undergo surgery, and hopes to recover soon.
Seeing his team mate injured was psychologically demanding for Franco Caimi. However, he mustered courage and picked up pace to finish the stage in good time. Franco currently holds the 13th position in the overall Rally GP class standings.
It was an even more difficult day for Sebastian Buhler and Ross Branch, both of whom ran out of fuel in the 250km-long first part of the stage. The rains from the previous day rendered the sandy terrain wet and hard, and their machines battled with technical issues that consumed more fuel than normal.
Both of them had to wait considerable amount of time before receiving help from trailing competitors who lent them fuel to reach the refueling point. However, even with the heavy time losses, they battled on to the finish line, demonstrating the true spirit of Heroes. Undeterred, Ross and Buhler will continue their fight in the race, even though their overall ranks have been adversely affected today.
The entire Hero MotoCorp team wishes a fast recovery for Joaquim and hopes for his speedy return to racing.
-
Hero riders continue strong run; JRod 9th in Stage 3: Dakar 2023
Hail (Saudi Arabia), 3 Jan 2023: Hero MotoSports Team Rally continued their consistent run at the Dakar 2023 with their top rider Joaquim Rodrigues finishing the Stage 3 in the 9th position, followed by Ross Branch in the 14th, Franco Caimi in the 16th, and Sebastian Buhler in the 21st place in the Rally GP Class of Dakar 2023 here on Tuesday.
Stage 3 was also long like the previous stage, but it was a far easier a day for the competitors thanks to the absence of rocks in the terrain. The terrain was mostly sandy, with beautiful canyons that painted a picturesque landscape for the riders to look on. Towards the end of the day, rains started posing trouble for the competitors and the stage was halted at the third Check point (377 km). However, Hero MotoSports riders finished the stage before the weather turned nasty.
Joaquim Rodrigues enjoyed the long sand-packed sections of the stage and finished within the top-10. He moves one place up to the 16th place in the overall Rally GP class standings. Ross too found the terrain favorable to push through. His steady run so far in the Rally places him in the overall top-10, at the 10th place.
Franco was not feeling fully comfortable with the bike today, yet he managed to finish in good time, and moved two places up to the 14th position in the overall Rally GP class standings.
A podium finish yesterday meant Sebastian Buhler was the 2nd rider to start the tough Stage 3. However, he rode well for most parts, but an unfortunate crash 50 kilometers before the finish line cost him quite some minutes. After Stage 3, Buhler now holds the 13th overall Rally GP class rank.
Joaquim Rodriques
“Today’s stage was really fast, sand-packed, and definitely a better day than yesterday. I enjoyed the sand, and for the entire day I was riding alone. I tried to push, but the terrain was quite dangerous. (Ricky) Brabec crashed today and he’s out of the race. It affects us deeply when we see our friends on the ground. It took me a while to speed up again from there, but the rest of the stage was good for me. I hope Ricky is well, and wish him a speedy recovery.”
Sebastian Buhler
“Today was quite a nice stage, with not so much rocks in the terrain. It was much faster than yesterday, and with the rains, the day was very pleasant. Just 50 kilometers before the finish line, I had a small crash, and lost some time. But I still managed to reach the finish with a decent result. The day did not end like I wished, but this is the Dakar – anything can happen any day.”
Franco Caimi
“Glad to finish another tough stage. The weather didn’t help much, it was quite cloudy and rainy in several places. However, it was a lot more sand than yesterday. Today, I didn’t feel very comfortable with the bike; so, I’ll be working with the team to improve it as much possible to enter the next stages in the best shape. Tomorrow seems to have a sandy terrain like today, so we will be prepared for it.”
Ross Branch
“Today was much better than yesterday, it was a nice and long stage with beautiful landscapes. We had good sandy tracks, and the navigation wasn’t that difficult either. I made a couple of minor navigation mistakes, but what was interesting today was that for the first time at the Dakar I rode in the rain – the last 160 kms liaison was in freezing cold rain! I’m happy to be back in one piece; another stage done, and looking forward to tomorrow.”
-
Buhler delivers Stage podium for Hero MotoSports: Dakar 2023
Al Ula (Saudi Arabia), 2 Jan 2023: Hero MotoSports Team Rally, delivered a strong finish in Stage 2 at the world’s most-gruelling rally, the Dakar 2023, with Sebastian Buhler crossing the finish line with the 2nd fastest time, bagging the first-ever stage podium of his Dakar career here on Monday.
Following closely behind was Ross Branch in the 4th position. Franco Caimi finished the stage in the 14th place, and Joaquim Rodrigues in the 20th place, in the Rally GP class standings.
The only rider from India, Harith Noah finished 34th today.
The German Sebastian Buhler, who missed the 2022 Dakar Rally due to injury, winning the Dakar became a dream when he was a teenager. In just his fourth attempt at the mighty Dakar, the 29-year-old has today moved several steps closer to achieving his lifelong dream. Buhler’s impressive performance pushes him into the overall top-10, at the 10th place.
The second stage of the world’s toughest rally was a long and dangerous one through mostly rocky sections. The rough terrain posed severe threats to both men and their machines, yet the Hero MotoSports team riders made an impressive attempt right from the start of the stage, putting up a fight for the top positions.
Ross Branch found the day to be one of the longest ones he has ever experienced at the Dakar. Still recovering from his crashes in Stage 1, the Botswanan made every effort to ride steadily, avoiding mistakes. His top-5 finish today places him at the 12th place in the overall rankings table.
The day was rough for the Argentine Franco Caimi as well. However, his consistent performance early on in the race finds him a place in the overall Rally GP class table at the 16th position.
Joaquim Rodrigues had an exceptionally difficult Stage 2, having had to run almost 250 kms with limited fuel owing to a broken tank, and a broken clutch lever as well. He lost some valuable time, however, strong willed, JRod brought his Hero 450 Rally to the finish line, and maintains a 17th place in the overall Rally GP class standings.
Next up is a 669 kilometer ride from Al-‘Ula to Ha’il, which the race organization describes as “perhaps holding the most beautiful fifty kilometers in the rally”. The long succession of beautiful canyons will also create one of the most trying stages for the riders, and has great potential to shake up the rider standings.
Sebastian Buhler
Sebastian Buhler said: “Today turned out to be a rewarding one. Yet it wasn’t really a fun day, as we were riding the entire day through rocks. I was able to find a good rhythm from the beginning, and that helped me push through. Before the second refueling I made a slight mistake that made me go back 2kms to validate a waypoint, and I lost some time there. Other than that, I’m very happy with my performance and the 2nd position I’ve earned.”
Ross Branch
Ross Branch said: “It was a long rocky section today, probably one of the longest such stages I’ve ever done at the Dakar. But the day was good for me. I wasn’t sure where we were lined the whole day, so the aim was to avoid any mistakes, navigation errors, and most of all, any crashes. I’m happy we’re in a good position for Stage 2, which is also going to be a long one, and I’m hoping for the best.”
Franco Caimi
“It was a beautiful but really hard and long stage today. I spent over 5 hours on the bike, and it has been very demanding physically. But I felt better on the bike than yesterday, and I’m happy that we’re moving forward each day, improving in every stage. There’s still a long way to go, and I’m hopeful for the best,” said Caimi after the stage.
Joaquim Rodrigues
Joaquim Rodrigues was pleased to finish the stage. He said: “Today didn’t go exactly how I thought it would. I started really strong with a good rhythm, and was in the top 3 early-on in the stage. But it was kind of an extreme enduro stage, with plenty of rocks all over the place. In one of those trails going up, a rock hit my fuel tank and broke it. I started losing fuel, and while trying to get back on the race, I found that I’ve broken my clutch too. I pretty much had to ride ~250 kms saving up fuel with just the rear tank left, and without a clutch lever! It was quite a tough test, but I’m fortunate to have brought my Hero to the finish. Hoping for better days ahead.”
Provisional Rankings – Stage 2 (Rally GP Class)
1. Mason Klein BAS World KTM Racing Team 05h 23m 04s
2. Sebastian Buhler Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 1m 09s
3. Skyler Howes Husqvarna Factory Racing + 1m 13s
4. Ross Branch Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 1m 58s
14. Franco Caimi Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 5m 06s
20. Joaquim Rodrigues Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 17m 44s
Provisional Overall Rankings – at the end of Stage 2 (Rally GP Class)
1. Mason Klein BAS World KTM Racing Team 09h 38m 28s
2. Toby Price Red Bull KTM Factory Racing + 1m 41s
3. Joan Barreda Bort Monster Energy JB Team + 2m 03s
10. Sebastian Buhler Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 8m 34s
12. Ross Branch Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 9m 11s
16. Franco Caimi Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 17m 08s
17. Joaquim Rodrigues Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 29m 40s
