Abu Dhabi, November 11, 2021.

Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsports team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters - Hero MotoCorp, has completed four of the five stages of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.

Joaquim Rodrigues, who has been delivering strong results through the rally registered his best finish so far. Riding steadily in a very fast stage that alternated between dunes and valleys, he finished in fourth place.

In the overall standings too, he has now climbed to the fourth position.

Sebastian Buhler who was running strong in seventh place suffered an unfortunate crash and had to retire due to an injury to his leg.

The penultimate stage of the rally consisted of 250kms of racing in the dunes of Liwa desert. The last stage will see the riders cover another 216kms of racing, post which the winner of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2021 will be decided.

Joaquim Rodrigues, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: “It was definitely a better day for me and I am slowly regaining my energy. It was a really fast stage and there were some dangerous sections in the desert, so I did my best to be careful. I heard about Buhler’s crash when I reached the bivouac. I wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him riding with us at the Dakar.”

Sebastian Buhler, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: “Today’s stage did not go well for me. I had a good start, but after the refueling, I suffered a crash on a plateau and injured my leg. I thank my fellow competitors Aaron Mare and Ross Branch, who helped me after my crash till the medical team arrived. I will be heading home to recover and thank the team for their hard work and support throughout the year.”

Provisional Stage 4 Rankings

1          Adrien van Beveren              Monster Energy Yamaha                  03h 10m 02s

2          Matthias Walkner                  RedBull KTM Factory Racing           + 54s

3          Joaquim Rodrigues             Hero MotoSports Team Rally      + 02m 58s

4          Daniel Sanders                      GasGas Factory Racing                     + 03m 46s

5          Ross Branch                          Monster Energy Yamaha                  + 16m 35s

Provisional Overall Standings:

1          Matthias Walkner                  RedBull KTM Factory Racing           15h 05m 20s

2          Daniel Sanders                      GasGas Factory Racing                     + 03m 50s

3          Adrien van Beveren              Monster Energy Yamaha                  + 04m 46s

4          Joaquim Rodrigues             Hero MotoSports Team Rally      + 28m 32s

5          Aaron Mare                                                                                       + 01h 16m 15s