Ha’il, Saudi Arabia, January 3, 2022.

After a steady start in the Qualifying stage (Stage 1A), Hero MotoSports Team Rally - the motorsports team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters - Hero MotoCorp, has completed Stage 1B of the Dakar Rally 2022 on 2^nd January in Ha’il, Saudi Arabia.

Both riders finished the stage and reached the bivouac after riding over 513kms, including 333kms of desert as part of the special stage. Competing in the Rally GP Class, Hero MotoSports riders Aaron Maré & Joaquim Rodrigues reached the finish line in the 11^th and 22^nd places respectively. In overall rankings Aaron has moved in to the Top-10 rankings at the 10^th place and Joaquim is at the 19^th position. 

Stage 1B, which looped around Ha’il, had a sandy terrain typical of the desert, with twisty tracks through dunes and valleys. Navigation was quite complicated as the tracks were not visible, had plenty of fork changes, and were also turning between stones for a long part.

It was Aaron Maré’s first long stage with the Hero Rally 450 and he thoroughly enjoyed riding the bike. Although the navigation was tricky, his rigorous navigation training in the weeks leading up to the Dakar greatly helped him ace the first stage.

Joaquim Rodrigues who started the day early in the fifth position, however had a difficult stage. After catching up with the stage openers, JRod lost time finding a particularly difficult waypoint. He still has the rest of the race to make up for the lost time, and move up the table.

Overall, it was a good first day for the Hero MotoSports’ duo. The second stage will be a rather challenging one - a 339kms long ride through a chain of dunes, topped with an equally long liaison. The riders will leave Ha’il in the morning, and reach the bivouac at Al Qaisumah after completing the stage.

Joaquim Rodrigues

“I made a good start, however, I and 3-4 other competitors who led the stage got lost somewhere around the 165kms mark, and could not find the way ahead. The late starters also caught up with us there, and I lost almost an hour before finding the waypoint and heading to the finish. Anyhow, it’s just the first day, there are 11 more days left to find my way to the top.”

Aaron Maré

“I had a great stage today with the amazing Hero Rally 450. The stage was quite tricky with complicated navigation, yet I got to ride with some of the other competitors and I thoroughly enjoyed the day. I’m eager to get back on the bike tomorrow!”

Provisional Rankings – Stage 1B – Rally GP Class

1. Daniel Sanders                  GasGas Factory Racing                     03h 43m 10s

2. Pablo Quintanilla               Monster Energy Honda Team         + 02m 07s

3. Matthias Walkner              Red Bull KTM Factory Team           + 08m 31s

4. Lorenzo Santolino                        Team Sherco Rallye                         + 10m 04s

11. Aaron Maré                    Hero MotoSports Team Rally      + 21m 03s

22. Joaquim Rodrigues      Hero MotoSports Team Rally      + 53m 19s

Provisional Overall Rankings at the end of Stage 1B – Rally GP Class

1. Daniel Sanders                  GasGas Factory Racing                     04h 38m 40s

2. Pablo Quintanilla               Monster Energy Honda Team         + 03m 07s

3. Matthias Walkner              Red Bull KTM Factory Team           + 11m 06s

4. Adrien van Beveren          Monster Energy Yamaha                  + 12m 46s

10. Aaron Maré                    Hero MotoSports Team Rally      + 27m 33s

19. Joaquim Rodrigues      Hero MotoSports Team Rally      + 56m 24s