Renowned Motorsports Team, Hero MotoSports has announced its plans of participating in the highly acclaimed Dakar Rally 2022. In 2021, Hero MotoSports showcased an impressive performance at the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship with 2 podium finishes. Hero MotoSports is the motorsport team of one of the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturers- Hero MotoCorp. The team will participate in the 6th edition of the Dakar Rally with riders Franco Caimi and Joaquim Rodrigues.
Both riders achieved podium finishes in 2021’s Cross-Country Rallies Championship at the Silk Way Rally and Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. The end of the championship witnessed Joaquim securing an overall 4th position in the standings. Joaquim has been with the team since its inception in 2016 and will participate in the rally for the 6th time.
On the other hand, Franco Caimi has been the newest member of the Hero MotoSports team since his signing in April 2021. Prior to his signing, however, Franco has taken on the challenges of the Dakar Rally on 5 different occasions. Hero MotoSports will offer the duo an updated rally bike to take on the challenges of the Dakar Rally.
The bike in question is Hero 450 Rally bike which now showcases an improved top speed and acceleration. Hero MotoSports has achieved a renowned status amongst global racing circuits thanks to its 5 years of international rallying experience. 2021 marked a significant milestone for the team as its riders achieved podium finishes in various rallies throughout the season.
The rally team has also wished a speedy recovery to other team pilots such as Sebastian Buhler and CS Santosh. Both riders who were on the roster for the 2022 Dakar Rally had to withdraw due to their injuries. The winner of the 2021 Hungarian Baja, Sebastian Buhler, suffered an injury at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Meanwhile, Indian ace CS Santosh is currently recovering from an injury suffered during the 2021 Dakar Rally.
Hosted for the 3rd time in Saudi Arabia, the 2022 Dakar Rally consists of 12 stages over a 14-day period. The rally will begin on January 1st, 2022, with a short Prologue stage before continuing towards various Saudi Arabian cities. Competitors will get an opportunity to rest at the capital city of Jeddah on January 8th after covering 3400 Km.
The competitors will then cover a total of 8000 Km, which includes the liaison stages before returning back to Jeddah. January 14th will mark the end of the rally at Jeddah, where the podium will reveal the winners. The 2022 Dakar Rally will showcase 149 motorcycles out of the total 430 vehicles on the start line.
The 44th edition of the Dakar Rally will act as the opening race of the latest World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC). This newly formed event replaces the Cross-Country Rallies Championship and will consist of 5 rounds alongside the Dakar Rally. Following this event will be the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Rally Kazakhstan, Andalucia Rally, and the Rally du Maroc.
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