Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, successfully completed the first stage of Desafio Ruta 40 2024, posting a strong result. Rally GP class riders Sebastian Buhler, Ross Branch, and Ignacio Cornejo crossed the finish line in the 4th, 5th and 10th positions respectively. Ramiro Barco who represents the team in the Rally 2 class, made it to the 9th position in his category.
Stage 1 was a 505 km loop around the host city of Córdoba, including 124 km of road sections and 381 km of special. The route took the competitors on rally tracks that the South American Dakars have traversed several times in the last decade. It was a roller-coaster of a ride with non-stop climbing and descending through the mountains, maneuvering through stony river beds, and more. While the navigation was not very difficult, getting to the finish in itself was quite a challenge in this typical WRC terrain. The route was pretty hard on the tyres as well, and the competitors had to wisely manage the possible outcomes, while going all in.
Sebastian Buhler rode consistently well since the start of the day, and was in the lead position for a considerably long period. At the end of the Stage, he finished just outside the podium, with fellow team mate Ross Branch tagging 23 seconds behind him. Nacho Cornejo – who finished 10th today – found it a bit difficult to get into a good rhythm on his new bike. However, the Chilean hopes to get better through the week with the changes and settings the team will be trying out on his machine. In the Rally 2 category, Ramiro Barco had a tough time in today’s long stage, getting caught in the dust from the Quads in front of him.
Having completed the first of five stages, Buhler, Ross, and Nacho currently enjoy the 4th, 5th and 10th positions in the overall Rally GP class rankings. Ramiro is 9th in the overall Rally 2 class standings. Even though the competition is tight at this edition of the DR40, a strong overall performance in Stage 1 places the team in good positions to move up the ranks comfortably through the week.
Moving on from Córdoba, Stage 2 will take the Rally westward to San Juan – the city of the Sun. The longest day of this edition of the race, competitors will ride a whopping 724 km in the day, of which 423 km are timed. For the next two days, the Rally will be stationed at San Juan, before heading to La Rioja.
Sebastian Buhler: « The first Stage here was a pretty fast one, and hard on the tyres. So after refuelling, we had to manage the tyres a bit cautiously. But overall it was a good stage, and I’m happy with the result. Now it’s time to tackle Day 2. »
Ross Branch: « We finished Stage 1 successfully. It was a long, hard day out there; while navigation was not very tough, the route in itself was quite demanding. It was quite slippery but we managed to keep it upright, and I’m happy with how it went. Looking forward to the rest of the week! »
Nacho Cornejo: « Happy to be here at the end of Stage 1. It was not the best day for me, as I struggled a bit to find the speed and rhythm. We knew this race was going to be a bit difficult to adapt, so we’re trying to find the right settings that I’m more comfortable with. We’re prepared to do our best day by day, and will get better stage by stage. »
Ramiro Barco: « It was a long and exhausting stage today. Due to the quads in front of me, I couldn’t really see much all throughout the route. Anyway, my feeling on the bike is good, and we’ll keep pushing day by day for better results. »
Provisional Rankings – Stage 1 (Rally GP Class)
1. Ricky Brabec, Monster Energy Honda Team, 3h 59m 37s
2. Toscha Schareina, Monster Energy Honda Team, + 1s
3. Adrien Van Beveren, Monster Energy Honda Team, + 44s
4. Sebastian Buhler, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 2m 06s
5. Ross Branch, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 2m 29s…
10. Ignacio Cornejo, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 19m 06s…
Provisional Overall Standings after Stage 1 (Rally GP Class):
1. Toscha Schareina, Monster Energy Honda Team 4h 16m 23s
2. Ricky Brabec, Monster Energy Honda Team, + 1s
3. Adrien Van Beveren, Monster Energy Honda Team, + 1m 29s
4. Sebastian Buhler, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 2m 54s
5. Ross Branch, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 2m 56s…
10. Ignacio Cornejo, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 20m 42s…
Provisional Rankings – Stage 1 (Rally 2 Class)
1. Bradley Cox, Bas World KTM Racing Team, 4h 13m 32s
2. Romain Dumontier, Team Honda, + 1m 25s
3. Edgar Canet Ardevol, Xraids Experience, + 6m 08s…
9. Ramiro Barco, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 29m 04s…
Provisional Overall Standings after Stage 1 (Rally 2 Class):
1. Bradley Cox, Bas World KTM Racing Team, 4h 32m 18s
2. Romain Dumontier, Team Honda, + 1m 23s
3. Edgar Canet Ardevol, Xraids Experience, + 5m 06s…
9. Ramiro Barco, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 29m 17s…