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Tag: Joaquim Rodriques
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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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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.”
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Hero MotoSports team begins well; JRod 11th; Aaron 16th
Hail, 1 Jan. 2022: Hero MotoSports Team Rally begn their campaign with a 19-km Qualifying stage with Joaquim Rodrigues finishing a creditable 11th position to be able to select his starting position for the Stage 1b, when the Rally begins in right earnest with a 333-km long Special Section. The other Hero team member, Aaron Maré missed the mark narrowly, but finished Day 1 and Stage 1A in a remarkable 16th position in the Rally GP class of the Bikes section here in Hail, Saudi Arabia.
This edition of the Dakar Rally also marks the beginning of the newly announced FIA and FIM World Rally-raid Championships for cross-country rallying. Nicknamed #W2RC, the championship kicks off with the crown jewel Dakar, and aims to establish a calendar for the year that includes the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in March, Rally Kazakhstan in April, Andalucía Rally in June, and ends with the Rallye Du Maroc in October 2022.
This new consolidation of top rallies is being considered a historic move, one which offers better regulations and solutions for the sustainable, long-term development of the Rally-Raid discipline, participating teams, manufacturers and riders.
The competitors in motorcycle category are subdivided into multiple classes as per the new championship format for #W2RC. The Hero MotoSports riders are participating in the premier class, named Rally GP, which comprises the top 27 riders in the championship. The other classes are Rally2, Rally3 and the Originals, a press release from Hero MotoSports said.
The short Qualifying stage, set in the middle of a long liaison between Jeddah and Ha’il, gave the top 15 finishers in the Rally GP Class an opportunity to choose their starting positions for the first stage on January 2.
With the administrative and technical scrutiny and the Covid-19 tests completed already, the participants rolled-off from the ceremonial podium at Ha’il on January 1 at 4pm IST, marking the official beginning of their Dakar 2022 campaign.
The first stage (1b) on Jan 2, of the Dakar Rally, will take the riders on a 513-km loop around Ha’il, with a 333-km long special. Here, the riders will get their first taste of the treacherous terrain, typical of the deserts of Saudi Arabia.
Wolfgang Fischer, Team Manager, Hero MotoSports Team Rally:
“The Dakar 2022 is not only the start of the new racing season but also of a new powerful World Championship which pushes the rally sport to a new level in many aspects. After a busy season participating in many races, we have put in consistent efforts to bring our riders and machines up to the next level of competitiveness and we look forward to proving this growth over the next two weeks.
JRod, the ever-constant in our team since the start in 2016, is well prepared for the Dakar. Franco and Sebastian, after having shown very promising results throughout 2021 unfortunately met with injuries that they have not recuperated from in time for the Dakar. CS Santosh is also still recovering from his crash at the previous Dakar.
In Aaron Maré we are happy to have a strong last-minute replacement. I am sure that he will deliver his best along with Joaquim to keep the Hero MotoSports flag flying high. We are grateful to be able to show our competence in this fascinating competition even during these difficult times. Greetings and best wishes for the New Year to all our fans around the world!”Joaquim Rodrigues:
“The qualifying stage today was not as easy as I expected. I started the stage strong, though the arm-pump made it difficult for me to maintain a good hold on the bike. Anyhow, I rode safe, aiming to bring the bike back to the finish line. Yet, I am happy that we finished in a good position. This was only the qualifying stage; we have a long way to go.”
Aaron Maré:
“Due to the reverse starting order today, I entered the race much later than the other competitors. I had a rough day, with the track being quite torn up and rocky. I took it easy and hoped to make it just outside the top 15 so that I have a better starting position tomorrow. I’m happy with the day.”
Provisional Rankings – Qualifying Stage (Rally GP Class)
1. Daniel Sanders Gas Gas Factory Team 55m 30s
2. Pablo Quintanilla Monster Energy Honda Team + 01m 00s
3. Ross Branch Monster Energy Honda Team + 01m 55s
4. Kevin Benavides Red Bull KTM Factory Team + 02m 00s
11. Joaquim Rodrigues Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 03m 05s
16. Aaron Maré Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 06m 30s
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Hero begins welll as J Rod claims victory in prologue
Villamartin (Spain) 12 May 2021: Hero MotoSports Team Rally kicked off their Andalucia Rally campaign on a winning note, claiming the top spot in the Prologue stage on Wednesday.
The team finished the prologue stage of the Rally with JRod securing the first place, Buhler third and the newest Hero Franco Caimi finishing on the fourth place. These standings place the riders in a good stead for tomorrow as they will get to start towards the front of the field, which could prove to be important given the dusty nature of the terrains here.
After successfully completing the administrative and technical checks over the past day and a half, the trio of Joaquim Rodrigues, Franco Caimi and Sebastian Buhler took the start in the afternoon. The short 8km stage, consisting of poorly visible narrow tracks, was the symbolic start to the rally and decided the starting order of riders for the first full stage of the rally on May 13.
The first full stage of the rally will bring the riders to the start line near the town of Arcos de la Frontera before setting them off on 257kms of timed special stage, and bring the stage to a close back at the bivouac in Villamartin.
The 2021 edition will be the second time that the Andalucia rally is conducted with strict Covid19 protocols in place. From the “closed-door event” format without spectators to the “biobubble” and the Covid checkpoints, all possible measures are being taken to ensure the safety
of everyone involved. On the regulations front, there have been several new introductions in this edition to make it more technical and also safe, such as not allowing a sighting lap for the prologue stage, use of an electronic Start/Go board, introduction of a new waypoint and mandating each note of the roadbook to be validated amongst others.Joaquim Rodrigues, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: “We had a good start to the rally today with a first-place finish. Our main goal is to test the bike and the new settings with Dakar 2022 in our sights and this is a good race to do that. I am really happy to get the rally off with a good result for the team.”
Franco Caimi, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: “Really a good stage today, my first with the team and the bike and I managed to keep it on the two wheels so I am happy with the start. I think I did well today to finish fourth. The idea is to build it stage by stage and gain confidence so I
am in a good position to start for the first long stage tomorrow.”
Sebastian Buhler, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: “It was a short and nice prologue so I tried to keep it safe. It’s only the beginning of the race so I think third place is a really good position to start the race tomorrow.”Provisional Rankings – Prologue
- Joaquim Rodrigues Hero MotoSports Team Rally 06m 13s
- Joan Barreda Bort Monster Energy Honda Team +01s
- Sebastian Buhler Hero MotoSports Team Rally +02s
- Franco Caimi Hero MotoSports Team Rally +05s
- Lorenzo Santolino Sherco Factory Rally Team +12s
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J Rod to spearhead Hero MotoSports team: Andalucia Rally
Villamartin (Spain) 11 May 2021: Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycle and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, is geared up to kick-start their Road to Dakar 2022 campaign at the Andalucia Rally from tomorrow.
The rider duties for the Team, in the first rally of the season, will be delivered by the trio of Joaquim Rodrigues, Sebastian Buhler and the newest Hero Franco Caimi.
After an emotional and exciting outing at the Dakar Rally earlier this year – marked by the heartbreaking crash of CS Santosh and the fantastic fight back by the team to post their best results ever with two Top 15 finishes – the team is back in action for an exciting new season with renewed focus, motivation and a reinforced team.
Franco Caimi, the exciting Argentine rider has joined forces with Hero MotoSports Team Rally last month and is all set to make his debut in Hero colors at the Andalucia Rally. A promising talent in the Rally Raid circuit, Caimi is expected to enhance the overall performance and competitiveness of the team.
Joaquim Rodrigues will be looking to build upon his gritty performance at the Dakar to deliver strong results for the team. While for Sebastian Buhler it will be another opportunity to gain more experience as he continues to sharpen his skills in the sport.
Meanwhile, the morale and mood of the team is also bolstered by the news of CS Santosh making strong and quick recovery with every passing day.
Headquartered at Villamartin, Spain, the Andalucia Rally will be formally kicked off on May 12, with a short prologue stage followed by four days of racing, covering a total of 1629 kms including 1244 kms of specials.Wolfgang Fischer, Team Manager, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: “We are very excited to kick-off our new season with the Andalucia Rally and looking forward to a great race and the season ahead. We have utilized our time to work on our bike and also strengthen the team keeping the future in sight. We are excited to see Franco Caimi in our team and wish him the best for his first race with us. We are very excited about our prospects and possibilities this season. We are very happy with the remarkable progress of Santosh. He is a fighter and we are very happy with how his recovery is shaping up. It has been a very tough time since last year for the world. Our well wishes with everyone in India and we stand in solidarity with everyone impacted by this pandemic. Stay safe everyone.”
Joaquim Rodrigues, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: “I am looking forward to the start of a new season with the team. It has been a tough one and a half years for me personally as well for the team. But we have come out stronger and I want to build on that and do my best for the team. I think we are well prepared for the Andalucia Rally given the situation all around, and we have a really good bike now so looking forward to a good race.”
Franco Caimi, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: “I am really excited to be a part of Hero MotoSports Team Rally and looking forward to my first race with the team. I think we have done well to prepare the bikes for the Andalucia Rally and I can’t wait to start tomorrow!”Sebastian Buhler, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: “The start of a new season is always exciting, especially in these times when we do not know which races will happen. So, I am quite excited to begin the new season with Andalucia Rally and hoping to get more experience in the sport, learn more and do my best.”
