RACE SUMMARY

Hero MotoSports Team Rally completed the fourth and penultimate Stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2025, with a Stage podium.

Nacho Cornejo crossed the finish line of the fourth Stage of the race in the 3rd fastest time. This is the Chilean rider’s 2nd Stage podium of the week, after his 2nd place finish in Stage 2. With competition getting very heavy towards the end, the second last Stage has shuffled the ranks of most riders in the top order. At the end of 4 Stages, Nacho finds himself 6th overall in the rally, just over 9 minutes behind the leader. However, the competitors holding the 2nd to 6th positions are separated by a meagre 1 minute and 48 seconds. Historically, never before has the race been this tight at ADDC!

The longest Stage in the race, Stage 4 was a 394 km ride from the Marathon bivouac in Al Qua’a region, back to Mezaira’a. After spending an eventful night by themselves at the Marathon bivouac - marked by strong winds and dust storms - Stage 4 led the competitors back to the rest of rally caravan. Presenting a one-of-a-kind experience that’s representative of ADDC’s new identity, the special took place in a unique and quintessential Liwa desert landscape. Competitors were introduced to a section of the Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter) where the dunes stretched out in long, parallel ridges, separated by vast dried-up salt flats which are known locally as ‘sabkhas’. They were led from one ridge to the next, climbing some of the world’s largest dunes, and also getting to blast off through the long stretches of white sand. In the final stretch westward, they also passed by the Al Dhafrah Fort, one of the oldest forts in the Emirates.

Nacho is the Indian manufacturer’s only representation left in the race, since an unfortunate mechanical issue in Stage 2 forced his team mate Ross Branch to withdraw. With two Stage podiums and consistent top-10 performances, Nacho has shown exceptional resilience and determination to power through adverse situations. At the Dakar 2025 too, he became the only rider left in the Hero camp after fellow riders Ross Branch and Sebastian Buhler crashed out at different points. The world saw a true champion in Nacho, who in his first Dakar outing with Hero MotoSports, took on the heavy mantle and ensured he flew the Hero flag right up to the last kilometer. He finished Dakar 2025 against all odds, recording Hero’s second best Dakar result ever - a commendable 7th place finish.