Hero MotoSports Team Rally Gears Up For Its Fourth Consecutive Dakar Rally

To participate in Dakar Rally 2020 with a full strength team of four riders

Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, Hero MotoCorp Ltd., today announced its Riders for the Dakar Rally 2020.

Participating with four riders for the first time, the Team will take on the Dakar 2020 with – 2019 Pan Africa Rally winner - Joaquim Rodrigues, Indian Ace rider - CS Santosh, Dakar Rookie of the Year 2017 - Oriol Mena and the newest addition, Former World Rally Champion - Paulo Goncalves.

Still a young team, established in 2016 and with just three Dakar Rallies under its belt, Hero MotoSports Team Rally has emerged as one of the top teams in international motorsports arena. With two back-to-back Top 10 Dakar finishes and a 100% arrival rate for the machines, Hero MotoSports Team Rally has become a force to reckon with.

For Hero Motosports Team Rally, this season has been a significant one so far. While the Team has consistently improved its performances with each passing year, 2019 saw it staking claim on the Podium. Stepping up the game with a Rally win (Pan Africa Rally), two Podium finishes (Merzouga and Desert Storm), four stage wins (1 in Silkway Rally, 2 in Pan Africa and 1 in Rally Du Maroc where Paulo won an important stage against all the top riders in the sport) and six stage podiums (Silkway Rally), this season saw the factory team of Hero MotoSports turn a page in their journey.

The 42nd edition of the Dakar Rally will be held in Saudi Arabia in 2020. Starting in Jeddah on January 5, 2020, the Rally will conclude 12 stages later in Qiddiyah near the Saudi capital of Riyadh. With an overall distance close to 7,900 km, the competitors will battle over 5,000km of special stages. In addition to discovering the Saudi Arabian dunes in the second half of the rally, the first half of the Dakar will take the crews through a labyrinth of tracks where navigation skills will be essential.

Hero MotoCorp entered international motorsports with the formation of its rally racing team, ‘Hero MotoSports Team Rally’ in 2016. The Team has already demonstrated immense promise with impressive performances across the world, participating in rallies across four continents – Silkway Rally in Russia, Mongolia and China, BAJA India and Desert Storm in India (Asia), Merzouga, Olibiya and Pan Africa in Morocco (Africa), Baja Spain (Europe) and Atacama Rally in Chile and Desafio Inca and Dakar Rally (South America).

New Delhi, Delhi, India