– Nacho Cornejo stays steady on his 7th overall ranking
Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, has successfully completed the ninth stage at the Dakar Rally 2025.
Hero’s flagbearer in the rally Nacho Cornejo once again showcased his exceptional grit and perseverance, crossing the finish line today with the 6th fastest time. Thanks to this impressive result, Cornejo has maintained his solid 7th position in the overall rankings.
The newest member in the team, Cornejo has been showing an impressive performance consistently right since the beginning of the rally and is looking in a stellar form, maintaining a top-10 spot.
Feeling increasingly confident with his bike stage-after-stage, the young athlete from Chile is now looking forward to delivering a remarkable performance in the final three stages of Dakar 2025 as the rally enters its final destination – Shubaytah tomorrow with the empty quarter.
Today’s 9th stage, spanning 357 km of timed specials and 232 km of liaisons, presented a formidable challenge for the competitors. With the fast terrain mostly on dirt tracks, competitors were forced to maintain a high pace to remain in the contention as they covered a total distance of 589 km.
Tomorrow’s Stage 10 promises to be an electrifying test of endurance as the rally ventures east from Haradh. The day will kick off before dawn requiring competitors to ride in pure sand in the dunes, essentially marking the start of the penultimate empty quarter. With a 520 km road section and 115 km of timed special, the relatively short stage will push competitors to their limits, with hidden dangers behind every dune. With a total of 635 km to cover, the stage is set to throw a lot of challenges in the face of the competitors due to its technical nature.
Nacho Cornejo, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, said: « We have wrapped up Stage 9, and it was an incredibly fast stage! I felt completely in sync with my bike, posting strong times throughout the day. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake towards the end due to a navigation issue, which forced me to slow down. Nevertheless, it was a solid stage overall. With three stages remaining, we’re entering the empty quarter with sandy dunes, and I’m excited to have some fun and finish the rally on a high note! »
Provisional Rankings – Stage 09
1. Luciano Benavides, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 03hr 15m 38s
2. Adrien Van Beveren, Monster Energy Honda Team, + 01m 54s
3. Daniel Sanders, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, + 03m 04s…
6. Nacho Cornejo, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 04m 55s…
Provisional Rankings – Stage 09 – Overall Classification
1. Daniel Sanders, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 47hr 45m 34s
2. Tosha Schareina, Monster Energy Honda Team, + 14m 45s
3. Adrien Van Beveren, Monster Energy Honda Team, + 20m 21s…
7. Nacho Cornejo, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 55m 23s…