Dakar 2022: Hero's Joaquim Rodrigues Finishes 6th In Stage 7, Harith Noah Moves Up To P23

Hero MotoSports Team Rally ended Stage 7 with a strong finish as both of its riders put their best foot forward. Joaquim Rodrigues continued his fantastic run and finished the stage at P6, making the most of the rest day after Stage 6 where he had injured his back. Meanwhile, teammate Aaron Mare led a pack of 4-5 riders during Stage 7 through a long section of heavy dust and rocks. However, navigation error towards the end of the stage saw the rider lose time and he eventually finished 18th in the RallyGP class. The only Indian at Dakar 2022, Harith Noah moved up to P23 at the end of Stage 7.

Also Read: Dakar 2022: Hero MotoSports Riders Off To A Good Start In Stage 1, Harith Noah Finishes At P31

Aaron Mare made a small navigation error that saw him drop to P18 at the end of Stage 7

In the overall rankings, Hero MotoSports continues to maintain its strong position with JRod and Mare placed 16th and 17th respectively. Noah is placed 27th in the overall standings. The seventh stage of the 2022 Dakar Rally began from the capital city of Riyadh and comprised over 400 km of special stage and an additional 300 kms of liaison, before finishing at the bivouac in Al Dawadimi. Riders navigated through fast sections but had no tracks to follow in plenty of places due to heavy rains that washed them up completely.

The leadership in the RallyGP Class belonged to Jose Cornejo who led Stage 7 for Monster Energy Honda. The rider was joined by Kevin Benavides of the Red Bull KTM factory team at P2, while Honda's Joan Barreda Bort finished third, +2m51s off the stage leader. In the overall rankings, Adrien van Beveren of Monster Energy Yamaha leads the Moto category followed by the Red Bull KTM duo of Matthias Walkner and Kevin Benavides. The next stage will be the longest overall stage of Dakar 2022 at 828 km, with close to 400 kms of racing and the remaining in liaison sections.

Honda's Jose Cornejo led Stage 7 with teammate Joan Barreda finishing third +02m51s off the stage leader

Provisional Stage 7 Rankings - RallyGP class:

1.           Jose Ignacio Cornejo                Monster Energy Honda                        03h 28m 46s

2.           Kevin Benavides                        Red Bull KTM Factory Team               + 44s

3.           Joan Barreda Bort                     Monster Energy Honda                        + 02m 51s

4.           Luciano Benavides                   Husqvarna Factory Racing                 + 07m 50s

6.           Joaquim Rodrigues               Hero MotoSports Team Rally              + 08m 57s

18.        Aaron Mare                                Hero MotoSports Team Rally              + 22m 13s

Provisional Overall Standings after Stage 7 - RallyGP class:

1.           Adrien van Beveren                 Monster Energy Yamaha                     23h 45m 02s

2.           Matthias Walkner                     Red Bull KTM Factory Team               + 05m 12s

3.           Kevin Benavides                        Red Bull KTM Factory Team               + 05m 23s

4.           Sam Sunderland                        GasGas Factory Racing                         + 05m 38s

15.        Joaquim Rodrigues               Hero MotoSports Team Rally              + 53m 45s

16.        Aaron Mare                               Hero MotoSports Team Rally              + 57m 07s       

Provisional Overall Standings after Stage 7 - All classes:

1.           Adrien van Beveren                 Monster Energy Yamaha                     23h 45m 02s

2.           Matthias Walkner                     Red Bull KTM Factory Team               + 05m 12s

3.           Kevin Benavides                        Red Bull KTM Factory Team               + 05m 23s

4.           Sam Sunderland                        GasGas Factory Racing                         + 05m 38s

16.        Joaquim Rodrigues               Hero MotoSports Team Rally              + 53m 45s

17.        Aaron Mare                                Hero MotoSports Team Rally              + 57m 07s