Joaquim Rodrigues finishes Hero Motosports Team Rally in top 10

The 2017 edition Afriquia Merzouga Rally concluded near the town of Erfoud, in Morocco, with the Indian team Hero MotoSports Team Rally returning yet another impressive performance at an international rally raid event.

Team rider Joaquim Rodrigues finished the Stage six in second places, giving himself an impressive ninth position in the overall standings. His teammate and India’s star rider CS Santosh ended the Rally at 17th position in the overall standings, turning-in a steady performance following a spine injury earlier in the year. He finished the sixth Stage in 24th position.

Before turning off the engines, the riders completed a total of 1,200 demanding kilometres through the Moroccan desert, to complete the Rally. The last stage of the rally tested the riders in a single loop of 50 kms, in Motocross-style.

Joaquim Rodrigues,Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, “It was a good last stage for me, arriving second. There was a big battle happening in the dunes which was a lot of fun. I pushed hard and movedinto the lead position but I lost time due to two crashes. Very happy for a good result for the Team. It was a good rally for us and now we focus on the upcoming rallies.”

C S Santosh, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, “What a great end to a fantastic 6 days of racing here in Morocco. It has been a year since my journey with Hero began and I have definitely made a lot of progress from the way I rode last year to this year.

I came here with the target to gain experience and finish the Rally with a decent result. I’m happy to have achieved both. Overall, an exciting and purposeful Rally for the whole team” Wolfgang Fischer, Team Manager, Hero MotoSports Team Rallysaid, “Another 100 per cent finish for the team with both the riders arriving at the finish line.

We couldn’t ask for more as it was a really good race.We overcame the challenges and our struggles and finished the race. And that’s what matters. Just as last year, Merzouga is proving to be a good training and testing ground for the bikes and the riders.

This year was more difficult than before in terms of navigation and to have a complete race like that is very useful for the riders. Congratulations to the whole team and greetings to India.“