DAKAR 2019

Hero MotoSports Team Rally placed strongly at the end of stage 4

The 1st half of the Marathon stage promised the competitors a mix of 70% soft terrain, fesh-fesh and about 30% of gravel and stony terrain, a perfect formula for another fast yet tricky stage that ran for a total of 511kms today including 351km long special. Continuing his impressive run from yesterday, Oriol Mena brought home another strong finish for the team. Playing the terrain on its merits, his judgement on when to push hard and when to be cautious was spot on again, allowing him to post yet another solid stage finish at 11th position as he entered the Marathon bivouac today. His performance allowed him to retain his 12th position in the overall standings at the end of stage 4

Joaquim Rodrigues started the stage at the back and had to be contented with riding cautiously for the first part of the Marathon, as the dust from the front riders made it almost impossible to push ahead without taking unwanted risks. Later on, he gained several positions to finish the stage in the 30th place, enabling him to retain 31st in the overall standings

Santosh too had a cautious run today, aiming to get himself and the bike in a good condition to the Marathon stage considering that no assistance will be available today to attend to the bikes and the riders. He finished the stage in 51st place and stands 44th in the overall standings.