Hero MotoSports Team Rally made an impeccable start to their 2019 campaign as they claimed their first podium of the season. With a third place finish, Team’s spanish rider Oriol Mena bagged his first ever podium in rally sport since his debut, just over a year back in 2017.
Joaquim Rodrigues, was not too far behind as he finished just shy of a spot inside the top 3, at fourth position.
As Stage 5 brought the curtains down on the 2019 edition of the Merzouga Rally, Oriol and JRod delivered solid and consistent performances to keep the Team in the hunt for the podium. Mena was impressive as ever, near perfect in navigation and showing great temperament and understanding of the sport. JRod also pushed his performance levels higher with every stage.
From a team perspective, there are many positives to be taken from here, including the fact that the bikes performed really well throughout the rally, and many learning as well to continue improving the Team’s performance in every aspect of the sport.
Earlier in the day, the Erg Chebbi dunes played the theatre to the final battle for the standings at the Merzouga Rally 2019. In a short but certainly the most spectacular stage – The Grand Prix Dunes – the competitors made a final stretch of 49 kms of pure dunes to claim the final spoils for their efforts over the past week.
Dr. Markus Braunsperger, CTO, Hero MotoCorp said, “My congratulations to the entire team on this excellent result and our thanks to all our fans and supporters. This is a very special podium as it comes at the same race where we made our debut, three years back. This great result is a reaffirmation of our approach, and that we are on the right path. We are very pleased to see that our 3 years of labour and efforts in MotoSports are now beginning to give results. This only pushes us to race our limits harder, farther and longer to bring out better products for our consumers.”
Wolfgang Fischer, Team Manager, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, “We are very happy with our performance at the Merzouga Rally. My congratulations to the entire team for an excellent effort and thanks to all our fans and friends. Oriol has proved yet again what a top level performer he is, with a podium finish. Joaquim was a touch unlucky to miss out on a podium himself, but his comeback journey after the crash has been impressive and inspiring for all of us. The team has shown great bonding and race awareness and we are happy with the start we have made into our season. Now we go back and look into the learning from this race and start preparing for the next one.”
Oriol Mena, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, “It was a crazy stage today, typical of any last stage of the Merzouga Rally. I started really good leading the stage for a bit and riding well with the lead group. But a few kms into the stage I had to break hard to avoid the rider in front of me and had a minor crash. Then on I lost my reach with the lead group but maintained by momentum to reach the finish line. I finished third so it’s my first podium and it is a very special feeling. My thanks goes out to the entire Hero MotoSports team, friends and colleagues and above all, our fans and supporters.”
Joaquim Rodrigues, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, “It has been a tough week at the rally that ended today with the motocross style start. I started at the back today but very quickly moved into the top 3 and really enjoyed riding with those guys. I finished third today so it was a good finish to the rally for me. Overall I am happy with my performance in this rally as I am beginning to get back my pace. It’s a good feeling to know that I can still do it. My congratulations and thanks to the entire team for all their support and big thanks to all our friends and fans.”
