Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2024: Hero Motosports achieves second place in stage 1

Al Dhannah City [UAE], February 27 : Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world's largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters Hero MotoCorp, completed Stage 1 of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2024, posting strong results.
Following up their record-setting performance at the Dakar 2024, the team represented by Ross Brand and Aaron Mare, the last-minute addition to the team at ADDC, finished the stage with an impressive 2nd place. Aaron achieved today's podium position for the team, while Ross Branch, the winner of the Prologue stage yesterday, finished Stage 1 in the 6th fastest time.
Tuesday's stage which started from Al Dhannah city sent the riders on a 374 km dune trail, of which 248 kms were timed. Living up to the name of the race, Stage 1 was a real desert challenge for the competitors and hailed by the organisers as the toughest of the week. The first leg was treacherous, with very soft sand forcing the riders to watch their fuel consumption carefully. Marked with dangerous sections and broken dunes, the first stage was indeed a major trial in the sands.
For Aaron Mare - the young South African residing and training in Dubai - the first stage brought some new learning experiences. Having finished 4th in the prologue yesterday, he started the day today in a comfortable position from behind. He caught up with the lead group, and then pretty much rode alone opening the stage until the finish line - his first time achieving this feat.
Even though Ross Branch was in the lead until almost 140 kms, a technical snag slowed him down drastically. The Botswanan chose to ride conservatively and bring his bike home safely, thereby losing almost 28 minutes in the process. He hopes to fight stronger and get back to the top through the remaining days of the race.
Following a historic Dakar Rally outing in January this year - becoming the only Indian manufacturer team to ever make it to the final podium - the team is back at the Arabian deserts, eager to continue their high-performance streak.
At Abu Dhabi, the team is represented by factory rider Ross Branch and Aaron Mare who joins the Hero camp temporarily for this race. A confident Ross kicked off ADDC 2024 by winning the Prologue stage, with Aaron finishing closely behind him in the 4th place. The duo is keen on keeping the momentum high all through the week.
Coming up next is another long stage in the dunes taking the rally caravan from Al Dhannah to the legendary Mezaira'a. The 2nd Stage includes a special of 239 kms and another 88 kms in liaisons.
"I had a really good day in Stage 1. I caught up with the lead group around 50 or 60 kms, and then opened the whole stage all day. This was a first-time experience for me and a really great learning opportunity! I did make a few mistakes towards the end in the soft sand, losing a bit of time. However, it was overall a pretty good day, and I look forward to tomorrow," said Hero MotoSports Team Rally rider Aaron Mare.
"It was an amazing stage today out in the dunes - wide open desert, big dunes, and some drop-offs - it was awesome! Barring a small technical issue which slowed me down today, I had a good day out there. I'm happy that we're back at the bivouac in one piece. The mechanics will sort the bike out today, and I'm looking forward to fight again tomorrow morning," said Hero MotoSports Team Rally rider Ross Branch.