Hero Motosports Team Rally wins the Baja Protalegre
Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of Hero MotoCorp, has won the Baja Portalegre Rally in Spain. For his part, Sebastian Buhler continued his outstanding performance this season, winning both the Baja Do Pinhal and Baja Portalegre, and in the process also winning the 2020 FIM Cross-Country Bajas World Cup. Besides, the Team had more reason to celebrate today as Joaquim Rodrigues also delivered a podium finish, his first of the season, with a P2 finish at the Rally.
Making a comeback into the competitive racing recently, Hero MotoSports Team Rally could not have asked for a better preparation leading into the Dakar 2021. The Super Special 3 was shortened significantly to 79km, as heavy rains rendered many parts of the original 330km stage unsafe for competition.
This year the Road to Dakar for the team has been comparatively short yet productive one. The Team is currently carrying a lot of momentum, with the fantastic performance of their newest rider Sebastian Buhler, the inspiring comeback of Joaquim Rodrigues, the ever-improving performances of C S Santosh and, of course, the flawless performance of their 2021 Dakar bike.
Speaking about the impressive performance at the Bajas World Cup, Wolfgang Fischer, Team Manager, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, “We are all happy to be racing again and the last couple of months have been full of learning for us. The FIM World Cup victory is a great reward for all the hard work the Team has put in and we dedicate this to our friend and Hero Paulo. Now we have only a few busy weeks left to ship all the material for the Dakar and then we all will move to Saudi Arabia, for what we are hoping will be a safe Dakar Rally for everyone. Our thanks go out to all the colleagues and fans for their continuous support.”
An ecstatic Sebastian Buhler, post winning the FIM Bajas World Cup crown, said, “It rained a lot yesterday so they had to cut the stage short today. Today’s track was sandy and even with the rains and holes; it was quite nice to ride. The bike we have been testing here has performed very well. Even with these wet conditions it was very easy to ride. Thanks to my team for putting in all the hard work. Overall I think it was a very good race and I am very happy to have won it for Hero MotoSports.”
Echoing teammate Buhler’s thoughts was Joaquim Rodrigues, who added, “It was great fun to race in all the water and mud. We are very happy to get a good result for the team and also with how the bike performed. It was a good race for testing everything and providing motivation to the entire team. We didn’t have much time for preparations this year but in the short time we had we have improved a great deal and all of us are happy with the way we have shaped up for the Dakar.”
Below are the stage-wise as well as overall rankings of the 2020 FIM Cross-Country Bajas World Cup
With the Bajas World Cup done and dusted and the thoroughly impressive results from Hero Motosports Team Rally, enthusiasts across the board are not sitting up and taking notice. Hence, all eyes are now firmly set towards Saudi Arabia, where the Dakar 2021 is slated to kick off on January 3 and conclude on January 15, 2021.
