– Sebastien Buhler finishes on the podium of stage 2
Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, continued their impressive performance at the Desafio Ruta 40, completing the 2nd stage of the rally with strong results.
Factory rider Sebastian Buhler led the charge for the team today, completing Stage 2 with an impressive 3rd place finish. Rally GP class riders Ross Branch and Ignacio Cornejo crossed the finish line in the 5th and 9th positions respectively. In the Rally 2 category, team Hero’s sole representation – Ramiro Barco – finished in the 9th place.
Moving on from the start city of Córdoba, the rally continued their exploration of the vast Argentinian outdoors, especially through the winding mountain ranges. Stage 2 was the longest of the week at a total of 724 km, including 423 km of special. The first 150 kms were fast and slippery tracks through the mountains, while the rest of the day was mostly very fast tracks. Salt pans, water crossings, sand, dust and fesh fesh too featured across the route. Our riders however, enjoyed going flat out at the 160 kmph top speed for most of the day, while also being careful not to wear out their tyres.
Continuing his impressive performance right from the start of the race, Sebastian Buhler was the man at the top up until the 232 km mark, and then was just a second behind the leader until 325 kms into the Stage. Unfortunately, he lost a bit of time after refueling, but nevertheless his fantastic performance earned him a spot on the podium today. In a strong fighting position, Buhler continues on the 4th overall position, just 20 seconds behind the podium.
Ross Branch has been showcasing a powerful ride at the Desafio Ruta 40 so far. Finishing Stage 2 with a good result, the World Championship leader maintains a 5th overall position in the Rally. The team’s latest recruit from Chile, Nacho Cornejo, has found incremental success in adapting with his new machine, and finding his sweet spots. Nacho is currently perched at the 10th position in the Rally GP class standings. Ramiro Barco, the Rally 2 competitor from the team is also in a similar boat as Nacho, and finds himself in the 8th overall position in the category.
Stage 3 will be a 478 km loop that takes the riders to explore the northern regions of San Juan, and will feature lots of sand and dust in addition to the fast slippery sections. 341 km of the route will be timed.
Sebastian Buhler: « Today’s Stage was really long and demanding as well. We started off on fast pistes which were very slippery. Managing the tyre condition while riding extremely fast was dangerous, but also fun at the same time. After refueling I lost a bit of time, but overall I’m happy with the result and enjoy a good starting position for tomorrow. »
Ross Branch: « Stage 2 was a long day, with 420 kms of really fast tracks. It was very open, and we were going flat out most of the time clocking the top speed of 160 kmph. I lost a bit of time today, but I also enjoyed most of the day. We’re in a good position to start tomorrow, and I’m looking forward to it. »
Nacho Cornejo: « We’ve finished Stage 2, and I’m starting to get a bit freer on the bike, feeling better day by day. We will keep working on finding more comfort on my new bike, catching more confidence and grabbing more speed – one day at a time! »
Ramiro Barco: « I finished Stage 2; it was quite long and challenging. However, my feeling on the bike is better now. Tomorrow is another long stage, and I hope to do better. See you tomorrow! »
Provisional Rankings – Stage 2 (Rally GP Class)
1. Adrien Van Beveren, Monster Energy Honda Team, 4h 18m 42s
2. Skyler Howes, Monster Energy Honda Team, + 27s
3. Sebastian Buhler, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 1m 09s…
5. Ross Branch, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 3m 35s…
9. Ignacio Cornejo, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 11m 59s…
Provisional Overall Standings after Stage 2 (Rally GP Class):
1. Adrien Van Beveren, Monster Energy Honda Team, 8h 36m 34s
2. Toscha Schareina, Monster Energy Honda Team, + 10s
3. Ricky Brabec, Monster Energy Honda Team, + 2m 14s
4. Sebastian Buhler, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 2m 34s
5. Ross Branch, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 5m 02s…
10. Ignacio Cornejo, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 31m 12s…
Provisional Rankings – Stage 2 (Rally 2 Class)
1. Romain Dumontier, Team Honda, 4h 24m 27s
2. Edgar Canet Ardevol, Xraids Experience, + 2m 39s
3. Bradley Cox, Bas World KTM Racing Team, + 2m 48s…
9. Ramiro Barco, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 23m 10s…
Provisional Overall Standings after Stage 2 (Rally 2 Class):
1. Romain Dumontier, Team Honda, 8h 58m 08s
2. Bradley Cox, Bas World KTM Racing Team, + 1m 25s
3. Edgar Canet Ardevol, Xraids Experience, + 6m 22s…
8. Ramiro Barco, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 51m 04s…