The Desafio Inca rally in Peru saw all three of Hero MotoSports Team Rally riders start the final stage. While CS Santosh and Joaquim Rodrigues completed the final stage at 17th and 18th, Oriol Mena developed a technical issue with his motorcycle and could not complete this stage. In the overall standings, CS Santosh secured 14th, JRod took 28th and Hero’s third rider Oriol Mena secured 30th.
Hero says all three riders started the final stage with an aim to get 200-odd kilometre under their belt and also said that “the three-day rally proved to be an important learning ground for all the teams, providing them with valuable insights into the tough Peruvian terrains as the focus now shifts to the Dakar 2019. The team will now assess its performance through the season and move into the last stretch of training and preparations to get ready for their third outing at the most gruelling rally race on the planet, the Dakar Rally.”
Speaking about the rally, CS Santosh said, “Finally done with the Inca Rally. It was a good experience for me. Had a good run through the stages and got a flavour of how the terrains are going to be like. I am glad to shake off any cobwebs as we now build ahead to the Dakar. It is going to be a couple of intense months and I am looking forward to it.”
In related news, Paulo Goncalves from Honda Team Rally took first while Matthias Walkner from Red Bull KTM Factory Team took second in the overall classifications.