The most gruelling race on the planet, the Dakar Rally, flagged off its 41st edition in all its glory and showmanship at Lima, the capital city of Peru today. This edition of Dakar Rally marks the 3rd year of participation for India’s Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the rally racing division of the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, Hero MotoCorp Ltd.
The three riders of Hero MotoSports Team Rally – Oriol Mena (Competitor no. 7), Joaquim Rodrigues (Competitor no. 27) and C S Santosh (Competitor no. 50) – rolled off the ceremonial podium, in front of thousands of enthusiastic fans assembled in the beautiful seaside district of Magdalena Del Mar to give a warm send off to the participants.
The team is confident and upbeat about their prospects at the Dakar 2019 riding on the back of some strong performances, intense training sessions and a much improved Hero 450 RR bike since the Dakar last year. Another big positive for the team is the comeback of Joaquim Rodrigues, who has undergone intensive rehabilitation after his injury at the Dakar last year.
Having completed all the administrative and technical checks successfully, the team is now raring to kick start their Dakar 2019 campaign with the first stage on 7th January that will take the rally from Lima to Pisco for a short warm up special of 84kms.
Mr. Wolfgang Fischer, Team Manager, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: “We are quite excited to be here at the Dakar 2019 for our 3rd year now. We have had good preparations this year with some good performances in the races and experience under our belt. The team has shaped up well both mentally and physically and we are very happy with the improvements made on the bike as well. JRod is also back with the team so overall, there is a lot of positivity in the camp. We can never predict an outcome in the Dakar, so our first aim is still to get the riders and bikes safely across the finish line every day.