2025 Dakar Rally Stage 9: Hero MotoSports’ Nacho Cornejo finishes 6th

Hero MotoSports Team Rally might have only one rider left in the 2025 Dakar Rally, but the team’s hopes haven’t gone down. Jose Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Cornejo is consistently pushing higher up and has finished a solid 6th, after fighting with the top guys throughout.

Nacho Cornejo displayed consistent strength throughout Stage 9, which spanned a 357km special between Riyadh and Haradh. Starting the day in a competitive position, Cornejo gradually worked his way up the rankings, showing impressive speed and determination.

After 159km, Cornejo had set the second-best provisional time, overtaking Red Bull KTM’s Edgar Canet to position himself just 2min 07sec behind the stage leader and Canet’s teammate, Daniel Sanders. His exceptional skill was evident as he maintained a steady pace, remaining in the top three while keeping close tabs on his rivals. Cornejo continued to push hard, and after 259km, he had trimmed the gap to 1min 42sec behind Sanders, trailing in second place.

Despite his efforts, the final push saw Cornejo finish 6th, 4min 55sec behind the stage winner Luciano Benavides, who claimed his second consecutive win this year. Cornejo’s ability to stay within striking distance of the leaders throughout the stage speaks to his consistency, and his 6th place finish still places him among the top riders to watch as the rally progresses. Talking about the stage, he commented, “We have wrapped up Stage 9, and it was an incredibly fast stage! I felt completely in sync with my bike, posting strong times throughout the day. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake towards the end due to a navigation issue, which forced me to slow down. Nevertheless, it was a solid stage overall”.

With only three more stages left, Cornejo maintains 7th overall rank and is striving to finish higher. Tomorrow, the rally will head to Shubaytah and while the special is a rather small 120km, competitors will have to cover a 520km liaison.