RACE SUMMARY

Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters - Hero MotoCorp, completed its Dakar 2023 campaign with a stellar result as three of its team riders crossed the final finish line today in Dammam.

The Indian manufacturer scripted history once again in this edition of the rally. With a top-10 overall finish, two stage wins, and a stage podium, this is the Team’s best-ever performance at the Dakar.

Sebastian Buhler, the youngest team rider of the team finished the last special (Stage 14) of 138 km between Al Hofuf to Dammam with yet another top-10 finish, at the 6th place. His team mates Franco Caimi and Ross Branch finished just 4 minutes behind him, making it to the 13th and 14th positions in the RallyGP class.

With the world’s top manufacturer teams and top athletes battling for top positions over 15 days across 8500 kilometers of extreme terrains - Dakar 2023 was undoubtedly the toughest so far since the race moved to Saudi Arabia. With two additional days and previously unexplored routes in the desert – the Rally proved to pose the competitors with an extreme challenge, right from Day 1.

The two weeks of racing saw several competitors - including previous Dakar champions – calling it quits owing to injury, right until the penultimate stage. Some exceptionally tough stages took the competitors through extremely dangerous stony terrains, mountain-tall dunes and steep drop-offs, terrifying canyons, torrential rain, and a lot more. Stage 7 of the race had to be cancelled for the bikes as it was deemed dangerous to continue racing in the rains.

For Ross Branch this was the first Dakar with Hero MotoSports. He suffered a crash earlier on in the race, and then, on a tough stage 4 he lost over 3 hours with an empty fuel tank owing to fuel injection issues. He knew his chances for a good overall top-result were over, but the undeterred athlete pushed hard and claimed two Stage wins in three days. With four top-5 and another three top-10 performances, Ross would have been a contender for the top prize, if not for his mishap in Stage 4. Ross finished Dakar 2023 securing a 16th overall position in the Rally GP class.

It was the first Dakar in Hero colors for Franco Caimi too, who had missed the last edition due to injury. Right from the start, the Argentine athlete showcased highly consistent performances finishing five times in the top-10. A crash towards the last days of the race caused constant pain in his leg, however, his hard work and perseverance paid off for him, as he finished with an excellent overall top-10 position, at the 10th place.

Sebastian Buhler, who returned to racing after almost a year of recovery from injury, delivered an excellent performance. In his 3rd Dakar with Hero MotoSports, the young German claimed his first ever Stage Podium, finishing 2nd in Stage 2. Buhler also lost a few hours in Stage 4 along with Ross due to loss of fuel. However, consistently improving his performance, he finished Dakar 2023 in the 14th overall position in the Rally GP class.

For Joaquim Rodrigues – one of Hero MotoSports’ first riders – this season of the Dakar started well for him and he finished twice in the top-10. However, an unfortunate crash in Stage 4 resulted in a broken femur, and led to his early exit from the race. He is currently recovering after a successful surgery.

For Hero MotoSports Team Rally which entered rally racing only seven years back, 2022 was the year of an historic achievement – their first Dakar Stage win, and a first ever for an Indian manufacturer as well. All through 2022, the team devoted hundreds of hours to training in different parts of the world, constantly upgraded their machines, participated at a variety of races, and made consistent headways into the top positions. The grand results at Dakar 2023 is a solid testament to the team’s passion and enduring commitment to building one of the world’s finest Rally racing teams.

The Hero 450 Rally crossed the final finish line of Dakar 2023 comfortably today, yet again proving its superior competitiveness. After scripting their success, the team flies back from Dammam tomorrow with a renewed sense of satisfaction and pride.