Hero MotoSports Team Rally continues solid run at Dakar Rally 2022
Jan 11, 2022
Wadi Ad-Dawasir [Saudi Arabia], January 11 : Hero MotoSports Team Rally delivered yet another impressive performance in the eighth stage of the Dakar Rally 2022. Both Joaquim Rodrigues and Aaron Mare put up a strong performance in a fast stage, bagging the seventh and 19th positions in the stage rankings of the RallyGP class.
Since winning Stage 3, JRod has been consistently finishing in the top 10 positions and his strong finish today places him at the 14th position in the overall RallyGP class rankings. Aaron enjoyed riding on his Hero 450 Rally, especially in the long dune sections on Monday. His performance puts him in 16th place in the overall RallyGP class rankings.
"I had another good stage. It was really fast, but it was a good race. The Hero Rally 450 has been performing at its best, and I'm happy with my performance as well. We've been posting consistent results, and I hope we can keep it up till the end of the race," said Joaquim Rodrigues.
Stage 8 which started off with sandy dunes, quickly moved to narrow tracks full of stones and then wet stretches, before heading into a constant web of valleys and wadis. Finding the right path from one valley to another was unusually difficult in the day's 400 km special section.
"The stage started really well, and I enjoyed riding in the dunes till about refuel. After refuel, the tracks became quite fast and windy, though I enjoyed that as well because it wasn't as rocky as the previous stages. I also felt a lot more comfortable with the navigation, and finished without making any mistakes. I'm happy with my consistent performance, and hoping for a better result ahead," said Aaron Mare.
Starting the last leg of the race, Stage 9 will be a 490 km loop around Wadi Ad-Dawasir, featuring mountains and tracks that wind their way around canyons. Although there will be lesser sand than earlier, this short stage is still presumed to be a difficult one.
