After a steady start in the Qualifying stage (Stage 1A), Hero MotoSports Team Rally has completed Stage 1B of the Dakar Rally 2022 on 2nd January in Ha'il, Saudi Arabia.
Both riders finished the stage and reached the bivouac after riding over 513kms, including 333kms of the desert as part of the special stage. Competing in the Rally GP Class riders Aaron Mare and Joaquim Rodrigues reached the finish line in the 11th and 22nd places respectively. In overall rankings, Aaron has moved into the Top-10 rankings at the 10th place and Joaquim is at the 19th 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 Mare'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.
"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!" said Hero Motorsports rider Aaron Mare.
who started the day early in the fifth position, however, had a difficult stage. After catching up with the stage openers, Rodrigues 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.
"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." said Hero Motorsports rider Joaquim Rodrigues.
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.
( With inputs from ANI )
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