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HERO MOTOSPORTS TEAM RALLY FINISHES THE RALLY WITH A TOP 15 FINISH

HERO MOTOSPORTS TEAM RALLY FINISHES THE PERU DESAFIO INCA RALLY WITH A TOP 15 FINISH; GAINS VALUABLE LEARNING IN THE BUILD UP TO THE DAKAR 2019

Hero MotoSports Team Rally has completed yet another international rally with an impressive performance. Participating with all three riders, the Team managed a top 15 finish with Indian ace rider CS Santosh finishing at the 14th position overall, his first top 15 finish of the season.

Peru Desafio Inca Rally 2018 came to a close today at the city of Ica in the Pisco province of Peru.  All three riders of Hero MotoSports Team Rally started the final stage with an aim to get the last 200 odd kms under their belt. Riding with caution and safety, JRod finished the stage in 18th place, and Santosh in 17th place. Unfortunately, Oriol developed a technical snag in the bike due to which he could not finish the stage. Overall, JRod finished at 28th place and Mena at the 30th place.

The three-day rally proved to be an important learning ground for all the teams, providing them with valuable insights into the tough Peruvian terrains as the focus now shifts to the Dakar 2019.

The team is extremely happy with the proceedings of this rally and the season so far. JRod continues to impress with his encouraging comeback into the rally world with many positives to take home. Oriol Mena is putting in the hard work and learning the sport very fast, gaining in skills and experience with every rally. While C S Santosh has delivered some solid performances showing great promise and improvements over the season.

The team will now assess its performance through the season and move into the last stretch of training and preparations to get ready for their third outing at the most gruelling rally race on the planet, the Dakar Rally.

Wolfgang Fischer (Team Manager): “We are happy to finish healthy and arrive safely at the finish line of the Desafio Inca Rally. It was a very important test and very good training for the team as many of the Dakar days will be conducted in the same region. Unfortunately Mena could not finish the last stage due to a technical snag, which we need to investigate and fix but overall a valuable experience for the team. From now on we focus on being 100% prepared for the Dakar.”

Joaquim Rodrigues (Comp No: 11): “I was feeling good and had a pretty good ride today. Rode relaxed and easy to bring the bike across the finish line. I want to thank my team, friends and fans for all their support in making my comeback possible. Now all the focus shifts to the Dakar.”

Oriol Mena (Comp No: 14): “I was riding really good today, got into a good rhythm and even caught up with two riders in front of me. I feel comfortable in the Peruvian dunes so

this was a good preparation for the Dakar. I am happy with the teamwork and the bike so a good race overall. Now I will go back and train hard so that we get good results at the Dakar as well.”

C S Santosh (Comp No: 24): “Finally done with the Inca Rally. It was a good experience for me. Had a good run through the stages and got a flavour of how the terrains are going to be like. I am glad to shake-off any cobwebs off as we now build ahead to the Dakar. It is going to be a couple of intense months and I am looking forward to it.”

Stage 3 – Provisional Classifications

            1.         Paulo Goncalves        Honda Team Rally                              01h 55m 08s

            2.         Toby Price                  Redbull KTM Factory Team               +02m 02s

            3.         Sam Sunderland        Redbull KTM Factory Team               +02m 16s

            17.      C S Santosh               Hero MotoSports Team Rally       +28m 04s

            18.      Joaquim Rodrigues Hero MotoSports Team Rally       +33m 06s

            33.       Oriol Mena               Hero MotoSports Team Rally       +48h 04m 52s

 

            Overall Provisional Classifications at the end of stage 3

            1.         Paulo Goncalves        Honda Team Rally                              10h 08m 13s

            2.         Matthias Walkner      Redbull KTM Factory Team               +02m 51s

            3.         Andrew Short            Husqvarna Factory Racing               +08m 24s

            14.       C S Santosh               Hero MotoSports Team Rally       +02h 17m 59s

            28.       Joaquim Rodrigues Hero MotoSports team Rally        +46h 51m 59s

            30.      Oriol Mena               Hero MotoSports Team Rally       +48h 42m 49s

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