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Tag: Hero MotoSports
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Indians Harith Noah, Jatin Jain in fray; Hero Motosports’ Ross Branch leads RallyGP
Grandola (Portugal), 3 April 2024: Scrutineering for the inaugural edition of the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal wound to a close in Grândola on Tuesday. The 55 vehicles in the W2RC field (out of 148 FIA/FIM vehicles in the race) were cleared to start the race on Wednesday morning.
Among the 27 motorbikes and quads on the FIM start list, will be two Indians, Harith Noah of Sherco, the Rally2 class winner of 2024 Dakar and Jatin Jain, a Kove rider. Besides, the Indian manufacturer, Hero MotoSports, will have the leader of the Rally GP competition, Ross Branch, who will feel the heat from Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy Honda), his closest pursuer at only 26 points back.
Jatin Jain
The popular Indian with the Supercross fraternity is a two-time National 2-wheeler rally champion in 2018 and 2019, and multiple times Supercross champion in different categories. Before this, he completed the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the second round of the W2RC on his Kove 450 Rally Pro. The Nagpur rider made his international debut in 2020 in the Hispania rally in Spain with a creditable fifth place in his class, and also took part in the Abu Dhabi Baja in 2023. But despite his best preparations, the privateer could not raise the sponsorship to take part in Dakar 2024.
Among the 28 FIA crews in the W2RC, Carlos Sainz (Mini JCW) holds the championship lead by just 9 points over Nasser Al Attiyah (Nasser Racing by Prodrive) and 12 over Guerlain Chicherit (Overdrive Racing).
Tomorrow, in a historic first for the W2RC, the prologue and stage 1 will be held on the same day, taking the competitors from Grândola to Santiago do Cacém and back. There will be live coverage of the finish.
The list of 169 entrants in the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal includes competitors from 30 different nationalities, a fact that reveals the global nature of the Automóvel Club de Portugal event.
As you might expect, the debut of the World Rally-Raid Championship in Portugal has attracted competitors from all over the world, who will be concentrating next week on Grândola and the trails of the Alentejo, Ribatejo and Spanish Extremadura.
The impressive list of 169 entries for the car, motorcycle and quad races has competitors from 30 different countries: in addition to Portugal, also South Africa, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Czechia, Chile, Ecuador, Slovakia, Spain, United States of America, France, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Lithuania, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Seychelles and Switzerland are represented.
The pride of a nation
In motorcycles, World Rally-Raid leader Ross Branch is one of Botswana’s rare representatives in motorsport at the highest level. Branch represents an Indian manufacturer, Hero, and bikers from that Asian giant are also starting to emerge, such as Harith Noah, an official Sherco rider, or Jatin Jain, who rides for a Chinese brand, Kove.
The Sunshine After The Rain
The route of the rally had to be tweaked due to the unseasonal rains that drenched its host regions last week, but its overall character remains very much the same. In the end, the FIM race will stretch for 1,735 km and its FIA counterpart for 1,866 km, with 1,039 km of specials for both. The start will be hectic!
In a historic first for the W2RC, the prologue and stage 1 will be held on the same day. The first competitors will get the prologue going just 15 minutes after the sun peeks over the horizon. After that, they will set out to tame the 100 km special 1 before noon. The entire field will be brought together shortly before the finish line to provide live coverage of the last 3 km. The final sprint will be broadcast for the first time on Sport TV, the broadcaster of the premier sports events held in Portugal. Live footage with expert commentary will also be streamed on W2RC social media for the rest of the world. Tune in tomorrow at 3:25 pm (UTC+1) for the motorbike finish and 5 pm (UTC+1) for the car finish on YouTube W2RC or Facebook W2RC pages.
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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!”
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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.
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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.”
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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
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Hero MotoSports team begins with bang; Branch3rd in Prologue: Dakar 2023
Yanbu (Saudi Arabia), 31 Dec 2022: Hero MotoSports Team Rally, began Dakar 2023 on a strong note with all the three riders finishing in the top-8 and Ross Branch clockling a blistering 8min 31sec to take the third spot in the opening Prologue that set the world’s toughest and dangerous rally rolling in the desert sands on Saturday.
Branch finished third behind leader Toby Price and Daniel Sanders, both from Australia. J Rod finished sixth, Sebastian Buhler was 8th and Franco Caimi was 22nd..
Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of Hero MotoCorp, has fielded four riders for the Dakar Rally 2023 marking the team’s seventh consecutive appearance at the Dakar.
At Dakar 2022, Hero MotoSports became the first Indian manufacturer’s team to win a stage at the prestigious rally and now for Dakar 2023, the team will have a rider squad of four members – Franco Caimi, Joaquim Rodrigues, Ross Branch, and Sebastian Buhler – two of them being Dakar stage winners.
Dakar 2023 marks the seventh Dakar for Joaquim Rodrigues (JRod), who won a stage at the Dakar 2022 and is returning to Saudi Arabia with the hopes of rewriting his success. JRod has been with the team since its inception in 2016.
The team spent several months in training and testing around the world. Team riders Caimi and Buhler returned to racing after several months of recovery from their crashes in 2021.
This is the seventh Dakar for Joaquim Rodrigues (JRod), who won a stage at the Dakar 2022. After its inception in 2016, the Hero team started taking part in the Dakar from 2017 with pioneer CS Santosh becoming the first to complete the gruelling Dakar representing Hero.
JRod’s performances at the inaugural season of the World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC) were consistent and he is returning to Saudi Arabia with the hopes of rewriting his success.
It will be the first Dakar for Ross Branch in Hero MotoSports Team Rally colors after coming on board in February 2022. Ross, however, is no stranger to the Dakar, having participated in the Rally on four previous occasions, and achieving a stage win in 2020. His performance in the first year with Hero MotoSports has been great, as he brought several stage wins and stage podiums for the team at various international rallies.
Caimi and Buhler missed the 2022 Dakar owing to unfortunate crashes in the last months preceding the Rally. However, they have recovered well over the year, and have put up highly competitive performances at the last few races of the W2RC 2022.
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Asad Khan crowned Hero Dirt Biking champion
Jaipur, 4 Nov 2022: Multiple National champion and motorsport rally star from Chikkamagaluru, Asad Khan, was crowned as the first-ever Hero Dirt Biking Challenge champion following the finals held here for the top 20 who came through multiple stages of competition after a five month-long rigorous contest that began with over 1 lakh registered riders vying for honours from across the country.
Rakesh N and Gidyun Benjamin were first and second runners-up respectively. Olesya Dias emerged as the best female rider.
“It is an amazing moment and I am thrilled to become India’s first dirt biking hero. The sheer magnitude of the event and huge response from over one lakh riders is a great tribute to Hero Motosports. I enjoyed every bit of it,” said an elated Asad Khan.
It was a big moment for Asad Khan, the Bengaluru-based privateer from the Coffee Land, who was crowned as the off-road riding champion and was awarded a Hero Xpulse 200 4V bike. A regular in the Indian National Rally Championship (2w), it was also a moment of satisfaction for all the hard work over the years fighting with factory teams as the humble giant bagged a sponsorship contract worth Rs 10 lakh. With limited or virtually negligible sponsorship opportunities, privateers in Indian motorsports spend huge amounts on their passion and the Hero sponsorship contracts for the top-three winners comes as a big push to continue their motorsports careers.
Asad Khan, champion, flanked by Rakesh, left, and Gidyun, right. Asad Khan first topped his zone at the Kodman Motopark in Mangaluru, where 60 riders took part in the preliminaries and five were selected for the next stage. The others are Ishan Chandra, Suhail Ahmed, Safwan Hussain (all Mangaluru) and Samson from Mysuru. Later after three more stages, Khan got into the National camp for the top 100.
Different stages
The Hero Dirt Biking Challenge (HDBC), which was launched in July 2022, concluded with the final race where only the 20 winners that came through different stages of competition fought for the top prize to become the the first HDBC champion. Earlier, clearing the city and regional rounds, 90 riders reached the Zonal round. Following a 4-day Zonal round, the National Team of Hero MotoSports trained participants before the top-20 Dirt-Biking Heroes made it to the finale.
Rakesh N, who came second won also received an Xpulse 200 4V and sponsorships contracts worth Rs. 6 lakhs while Gidyun Benjamin will get Rs. 4 lakh sponsorship and a similar bike too. Olesya Dias was recognized as the ‘Best Female off-Road Rider’ in the country for her rousing performance across all the rounds. The HDBC was telecast over MTV and streamed over Voot.
The finale week was held in and around Hero MotoCorp’s world-class R&D hub, the centre of Innovation and Technology, (CIT), in Jaipur. The entire race and participation experience was designed at par with top international rally events. The entire finale week was curated by the Hero MotoSports Team Rally.
Huge response
From July, over 100,000 participants registered for the HDBC and after a rigorous nationwide contest that ran across four stages and 41 cities 20 finalist who were short listed took part in the final Jaipur event.
Ranjivjit Singh, Chief Growth Officer, Hero MotoCorp, said: “The massive excitement and participation in Hero Dirt Biking Challenge is proof that the off-road riding segment is growing in the country. Xpulse is a favorite of riders and HDBC is a one-of-its-kind initiative in the country that opened doors for riding enthusiasts to achieve glory. We congratulate the winners and wish all the finalist the best for the future.”
Dr. Arun Jaura, Chief Technology Officer, Hero MotoCorp, said: “The Hero MotoSports Team Rally is the flag-bearer of Indian off-road racing. With superior technology, the Xpulse 200 4V is the ideal bike for riders to get into the sport, pursue their passion and go beyond boundaries. Congratulations to the winners. Hero MotoSports will continue to support national talent in the future too.”
Hero MotoSports Team Rally, one of the top international teams, is the rally-racing team of Hero MotoCorp and the only Indian team ever to win a stage at the Dakar Rally. Team riders Ross Branch, Joaquim Rodrigues, Sebastian Buhler and Franco Caimi worked with the top participants in a Residential Bootcamp, and provided them with invaluable coaching.
The Hero Dirt Biking Challenge is the first-of-its-kind pan-India talent-hunt program by an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) which provided a platform for budding riders, enthusiasts and amateurs who want to pursue off-road racing and the response for the maiden edition was amazing. -
Hero MotoSports riders finish in Overall top-15
Bishi (Saudi Arabia), 12 Jan. 2022: Having successfully completed 10 stages including a stage win, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, is poised to complete the 44th edition of the Dakar Rally with a good result.
One of the fastest specials of the Dakar Rally 2022, Stage 10 saw Hero MotoSports riders Aaron Maré and Joaquim Rodrigues ride strong and finish in the 11th and 21st places respectively in the RallyGP class.
Two years ago on the same day, January 12, the team lost their star rider Paulo Goncalves, a Dakar ace, a good friend, and a role model to everyone in the bivouac. Painful memories from the day made today’s race emotionally difficult for his brother-in-law, JRod. Yet, he demonstrated courage to complete the stage in the 12th fastest time as a tribute to the late rider. However, having missed a waypoint, he attracted a penalty that set him back to the 21st position in the RallyGP class. 10 stages down, JRod maintains his position at 14th place in the overall RallyGP class standings.
Pushing through the stage quickly and avoiding navigational errors, Aaron Maré continued his consistent performance at Dakar 2022 in Stage 10 as well. His latest finish has helped him break into the overall top 15 of the RallyGP class at 15th place.
The 757 km long Stage 10 from Wadi Ad-Dawasir to Bisha had a timed section of 374 kms featuring beautiful landscapes of the desert. The riders made their way to the finish passing through sandy tracks across valleys, wadis, and small canyons, and narrow stony mountain tracks.
Next up is the penultimate challenge from this edition of the Dakar. The 345 km special is a loop around Bisha, and will be the biggest technical challenge in the final part of the rally, throwing dunes of all sizes, shapes, and textures at the riders. This 11th stage of the Dakar will end at Bisha, before heading back to Jeddah on the last day.
Joaquim Rodrigues
“Two years ago, I experienced the toughest time of my life. I did not expect it to affect me much today, but then all the painful memories kicked in while I was on the stage. I found it difficult to focus on the race – it was a really hard day, but I’m glad I could finish the stage somehow. Two days to go, and the aim is to keep bringing the bike home every day.”
Aaron Maré
“I had a great day today, having started strong and pushing fast and I was able to catch up with the riders in front before refuel. Post refuel, the navigation became tricky, and so I paced myself a little bit to ensure I made no mistakes. I made it to the finish with no crashes or navigational mistakes, and am happy with my result that helps me with a good start position for tomorrow’s tricky stage. Just two more stages left in the race, and I’m looking forward to finishing well.”
Provisional Stage 10 Rankings – RallyGP class:
1. Toby Price Red Bull KTM Factory Team 03h 05m 32s
2. Luciano Benavides Husqvarna Factory Racing + 02m 09s
3. Adrien van Beveren Monster Energy Yamaha + 03m 35s
4. Lorenzo Santolino Team Sherco Rallye + 05m 40s
11. Aaron Maré Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 08m 09s
21. Joaquim Rodrigues Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 23m 36s
Provisional Overall Standings after Stage 10 – RallyGP class:
1. Adrien van Beveren Monster Energy Yamaha 33h 27m 06s
2. Sam Sunderland GasGas Factory Racing + 05m 59s
3. Pablo Quintanilla Monster Energy Honda + 06m 15s
4. Matthias Walkner Red Bull KTM Factory Team + 08m 24s
14. Joaquim Rodrigues Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 01h 15m 02s
15. Aaron Maré Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 01h 17m 08s
Provisional Overall Standings after Stage 10 – All classes:
1. Adrien van Beveren Monster Energy Yamaha 33h 27m 06s
2. Sam Sunderland GasGas Factory Racing + 05m 59s
3. Pablo Quintanilla Monster Energy Honda + 06m 15s
4. Matthias Walkner Red Bull KTM Factory Team + 08m 24s
15. Joaquim Rodrigues Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 01h 15m 02s
16. Aaron Maré Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 01h 17m 08s
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Hero MotoSports continues to excel with 3 days to go
Wadi Ad Dawasir (Saudi Arabia), 11 Jan. 2022: Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, has completed the ninth stage of the Dakar Rally 2022 with yet another strong result.
Continuing his consistent performance at Dakar 2022, Joaquim Rodrigues finished the stage in the 11th position. The day’s terrain featured a lot more canyons and rocks than in the earlier stages. Despite the difficult terrain, J-Rod rode and finished well and with it, maintained his 14th place in the overall RallyGP class standings.
His teammate Aaron Maré finished at the 17th position. Aaron found himself riding at a much better pace than in the previous stage, although a minor navigation mistake and a small fall cost him some time. His consistent run throughout the rally places him at the 16th position in the overall RallyGP class rankings.
Aaron Mare successfully completes Stage 9 on 11 January 2022. A Hero MotoSports image The 287 km long Stage 9 was a loop around Wadi Ad-Dawasir, featuring a change in scenery from the previous stages. It threw new challenges to the competitors as the riders traversed their way to the finish through narrow passages between valleys and canyons, upside down dunes, and some fast tracks.
Coming up next is a 374 km stretch of beautiful landscapes and colors, touted to be one of the fastest special sections of this season. Starting early from Wadi Ad-Dawasir, the competitors will ride a total of over 757 kms to reach the bivouac at Bisha.
Joaquim Rodrigues
“It was a different stage today with a lot of canyons and rocks, but still a fast one. I wasn’t feeling very comfortable today and wasn’t riding very fast. Anyhow, I was able to finish the stage, and I look forward to continuing the good performance till the end of the race.”
Aaron Maré
“I enjoyed my pace in this stage and felt comfortable riding in this terrain. Early on, I caught up with a rider in front and we ended up making a navigation error, and lost some time there again. Later, after refuel I had a small fall while in the dunes and lost some time. This threw me back by a few positions on the table. At the end of the stage, I’m happy to have finished yet another stage without any injuries, and look forward to the last three days of the race.”
Provisional Stage 9 Rankings – RallyGP class:
1. Jose Ignacio Cornejo, Monster Energy Honda, 02h 29m 30s;
2. Kevin Benavides,Red Bull KTM Factory Team,+ 01m 26s;
3. Ricky Brabec,Monster Energy Honda, + 01m 47s;
4. Matthias Walkner, Red Bull KTM Factory Team, + 02m 06s;
11. Joaquim Rodrigues, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 06m 43s;
17. Aaron Maré, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 10m 35s;
Provisional Overall Standings after Stage 9 – RallyGP class:
1. Matthias Walkner, Red Bull KTM Factory Team, 30h 14m 03s;
2. Sam Sunderland, GasGas Factory Racing, + 02m 12s;
3. Adrien van Beveren, Monster Energy Yamaha, + 03m 56s;
4. Pablo Quintanilla, Monster Energy Honda, + 04m 41s;
14. Joaquim Rodrigues, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 58m 57s;
16. Aaron Maré, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 01h 16m 30s;
Provisional Overall Standings after Stage 9 – All classes:
1. Matthias Walkner, Red Bull KTM Factory Team, 30h 14m 03s;
2. Sam Sunderland, GasGas Factory Racing, + 02m 12s;
3. Adrien van Beveren, Monster Energy Yamaha, + 03m 56s;
4. Pablo Quintanilla, Monster Energy Honda, + 04m 41s;
15. Joaquim Rodrigues, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 58m 57s;
17. Aaron Maré, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 01h 16m 30s.
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JRod wins maiden Dakar stage; brings in first success for Hero MotoSports
Al Qaisumah (Saudi Arabia), 4 Jan. 2022: Portuguese star Joaquim Rodrigues, of Hero MotoSports Team Rally not only won his maiden Dakar stage but brought the first success for the Indian manufacturer of two-wheelers at the World’s toughest rally raid event.
TVS ace Harith Noah, the lone rider representing India, finished the stage 29th after losing time before the first Way Point but recovered brilliantly to make up at least 11 positions and finished at a respectable 29th which put him in an overall 31st place.
After creating history with the victory for the World’s largest bike maker, Hero Moto Corp, the Portugal rider “J-Rod”, who endured the worst of experiences, with the death of his team-mate Paulo Gonçalves on 12th January 2020, said: “It’s my first stage victory on the Dakar and its historical for the team, I’m really, really happy. I was riding well and so fast that I even said to myself, ‘Paulo is riding with me here’. I think he and I won here today”. On Tuesday, he enjoyed one of the best, thanks in part to his former countryman and teammate.
JRod, as he is affectionately called, won the 255-km Stage 3 in 2 hours, 34 minutes and 41 seconds. Earlier today, as Daniel Sanders, the leader on the first two days, was eagerly awaited at the finishing line to discover the outcome of this Special Section. But the hungry Australian stopped for a couple of minutes to take bite and lost a good three minutes and dropped to fifth place. Toby Price has completed the stage in second place, ahead of the incredible Mason Klein.
But today it was Joaquim Rodriques, who deserves all the praise.
About J Rod
Joaquim Rodrigues has had to deal with a lot in the past couple of years, but riding his bike has slowly helped the 40-year-old to recover his form and confidence. At Dakar 2020, the Portuguese rider lost his brother-in-law Paulo Gonçalves, who tragically died on the seventh stage. The terrible event plunged the entire rally raid family into a state of mourning, and left Joaquim battling with depression.
After an extremely difficult year, he made the bold decision to return to the Dakar in 2021 and ride it in honour of the man who was married to his sister Sofia. One of the most emotional moments of the rally was seeing a tearful Joaquim cross the finish line on the final day and point to the skies.
The Hero MotoSports factory rider now takes Paulo with him wherever he goes racing, and the whole team wear Paulo’s final race number, 8, on their kit. Joaquim has had a busy 2021 season, competing in as many rallies as possible to help Hero fine-tune their 450 Rally and target the top places at Dakar 2022.
He began with a promising fourth place at the Andalucia Rally, and ended with a first world championship podium at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge -the same rally where Paulo took his maiden world championship podium in 2012. Over the course of a long professional career in supercross, motocross and rally raid, Joaquim has learned that you have to play it smart on an event like the Dakar. In spite of everything he was going through last year, he still took a very creditable 11th place in the bikes, and will now be looking to finish in the top 10 for the second time after his 2017 debut.
Before Dakar 2022 JRod said: “The main goal is always Dakar. We need to ride in the desert, and this year we tried to race as much as we could. The bike is always new, we’re always developing. That’s why we use all these races during the year to test new stuff. I think all the factory teams do that, because the best testing is racing, you know? I think we’ll be better prepared for the next Dakar.
“Time on the bike is always good! You feel more comfortable, more loose on the bike. Racing is the best thing you can do. And the results are showing that also. The whole team is doing good and that’s what’s important. Every time I go on the bike now, Paulo goes with me, to every race. It was hard times, still is hard times, difficult for my family, my sister and her kids. It’s been tough, you know. But taking him with me motivates me a little bit to keep pushing, to keep going and not give up. That was Paulo. I have many years of racing already, not only rallies but also motocross and supercross.
“And you can’t do more than what you can control. Just go out there every day and do the best you can. Make your bad days work as well as you can, and at the end of the race see what you get. I take every day as it comes, not thinking about the final result. Even if I come last, if I feel it was the best I had in me that day, it’s good enough for me. That’s the mentality you need to have, especially for rallies.”
