Franco Caimi rides to victory at the opening stage of Silk WayHero MotoSports

Hero Motosports takes victory at Stage One of Silk Way rally

Franco Caimi leads the charge for Hero MotoSports by claiming victory in Stage One

Hero MotoSports started the Silk Way cross-country rally on a high note with Franco Caimi winning the first stage. Teammates Joaquim Rodrigues and Sebastian Buhler secured fourth and sixth positions respectively. According to the riders, the Hero 450 Rally motorcycle was holding its ground on the longest stage of the rally. Stage two will be the final stage on Russian soil which will be held on July 3.

Buhler kept a close eye on the navigation aspectHero MotoSports

With a sixth place finish, Buhler said, “I think we did a good job here in the first stage of the Silk Way rally. I am really happy to bring home the first stage win for the team and myself. I felt comfortable on the bike and took care with the navigation, so it was a good day for me. I would also like to thank all the locals for the support and the great atmosphere. It is a long race, and we will keep pushing.”

Stage One was a teaser for the challenges about to comeHero MotoSports

Caimi started the stage from the third place and blazed past the competitors, setting the fastest time through every checkpoint before winning the race. J-Rod faced some issues in the beginning of the stage but he managed to cover up the time, finishing fourth. Since this was the first outing for Buhler at the Silk Way rally, he chose to ride cautiously and concentrated on the navigation aspect of his race.

J-Rod had a rough start but quickly managed to set pace Hero MotoSports

Stage one was introduced to the riders with a 10km bumpy section through a military training track, which was followed by a mix of high-speed trails. This stage was designed to be a warm up for the teams so there weren’t too many off road sections or difficult navigation notes in the 87km special stage. Despite having the short special stage, it was the longest of the 10 stages with a 574km liaison stage.

Stage Two would be the last section in Russian soilHero MotoSports

Stage two will start from Novosibirsk and reach Gorno-Altaysk. It is a 566km stage with 132km of it as a special stage and 434km as liaison. The stage will include mud tracks and then will quickly give way to narrow tracks through the Siberian forests. Towards the end of the stage, the terrain is expected to open up with sandy tracks and gravel, allowing the riders to build up speed.

If you want a detailed breakdown of the stages, click here.

KTM