Hero MotoSports Team closes BAJA Aragon with a good showing

C.S. Santosh © Red Bull

The second and the final day of the BAJA Aragon was concluded with another 250kms of stages done in the reverse order of Day 1 i.e. – the longer stage 4 of about 165 kms starting from Santa Eulalia to back to the Teruel followed by the shorter stage 3 of 65 kms, starting at Banon and ending near the Rally Head Quarters in Teruel.

 

Both riders of Hero MotoSports Team Rally finished BAJA Aragon on positive note. C S Santosh pushed hard at the beginning but a big crash in the first stage of the day impaired his ability to ride fast and push his timings ahead. The second stage fared much better for him after the team fixed the bike and he finished the overall rally in a commendable 10th spot in the FIM Bike Category.

Joaquim Rodrigues, started today right at the back of the pack today and faced the tough task of riding in the dust of all the quads and bikes. But he soon found his rhythm and rode well to finish in the 6th place in the final stage of the rally as he crossed the finish line today.

C S Santosh (Comp No: 11): « I think I made some good progress with my speed here and quite happy to finish the BAJA Aragon. I had a big crash in the first stage as I was looking to push hard today but managed to cross the finish line for the team. I guess I am working towards striking that balance and BAJA Aragon was a good practice run for me to assess that. Now we take all this and build it up for the next 2 rallies in the Morocco. »

Joaquim Rodrigues (Comp No: 7): « Today was definitely a better day than yesterday as I was forced to retire due to the crash. I started at the back so it was difficult to pass all the quads and other riders with all that dust but got into a good rhythm and played safe to bring the bike home. I am happy with the result as I managed to bring my Hero across the finish line today. »

Wolfgang Fischer, Team Manager, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: « BAJA Aragon was not exactly what we hoped for in terms of the final results, as both JRod’s and Santosh’s chances were hampered by their falls. They were lucky to have escaped without injuries. On the positive side of it, it was another flawless race for the bikes and their settings, and some valuable race experience for the riders. Looking forward to continue our preparations towards the Dakar 2020 from September onwards in Maroc. For now, we take a summer break in August to recoup after 2 back to back races. »

Provisional Overall Rankings
1. Michael Metge, Sherco TVS, 06h 30m 21s
2. Tosha Schareina, Motodes, +03m 39s
3. Juan Pedrero, Club Aventura Touareg, +07m 18s
4. Lorenzo Santolino, Sherco TVS, +14m 236s…
10. C S Santosh, Hero MotoSports, +19m 43s…
25. Joaquim Rodrigues, Hero MotoSports, +04h 56m 26s…

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