Hero MotoSports Team Rally announced its Team for the Dakar Rally 2019. The Team will feature all three Hero MotoSports’ riders, CS Santosh, Joaquim Rodrigues, and ‘Best Rookie of the Dakar 2018’, Oriol Mena. This will be Hero MotoSports’ third consecutive Dakar Rally. Having earned a Top-15 finish in 2017, the Team successfully secured a Top-10 finish in 2018. All three riders will ride on the Hero 450RR rally bike.
In its 41st edition, the 2019 Dakar Rally will take the convoy of participants on a 5,000-kilometre coil around Peru, starting and finishing in Lima, from January 6-17, 2019. There will be a total of 3,000 kilometers of racing divided between 10 special stages, where 70% of the terrain will be covered in sand. Leading up to the Dakar 2019, Hero MotoSports Team Rally participated in many rallies across the globe on its ‘Road to Dakar’ initiative.
The Team kicked off its campaign in April 2018 at the Merzouga Rally in Morocco, where it achieved a Top-15 finish. In August, the Team headed to the Atacama Rally in Chile, immediately following it up with a podium finish at the BAJA India Rally. It ended 2018 with a Top-15 finish at the Peru Desafio Inca Rally in September.
Announcing this here today, Dr. Markus Braunsperger, Chief Technology Officer, Hero MotoCorp and Head of Hero MotoSports said, “We are enthusiastic and absolutely ready for Dakar 2019. Looking at this high-octane event, which is expected to be even tougher than last year, our focus remains on finishing the Rally. This year has been very good for the Team in terms of preparations and training as it has participated in events across the globe and delivered strong finishes. We aim to ride that momentum in the upcoming Dakar Rally in January.”
Excited about the upcoming event, CS Santosh, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, “This will be my third Dakar with Hero MotoSports and fifth overall. It has been a very exciting three years and I’m geared up for yet another rendezvous with this unique event. I am satisfied with the preparations and look forward to delivering a solid performance. We have had a good training season and I tried to make every session count. Ultimately, it’s about enjoying the process and arriving at the finish line.”