Hero Manages A Double Top 10 Finish In Stage 3 Of Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge

Hero MotoSports Team Rally rider Joaquim Rodriguez managed to finish the stage 3 of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in an impressive 6th position, and he was closely followed by Franco Caimi who finished the stage in 7th, marking 2 of the team's 3 riders finishing the stage in top 10. After crashing out in Stage 1, Hero's Ross Branch came back strong to win the second stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Having won stage 2, the mantle of opening stage 3 fell on Ross. He managed to ride the soft dunes avoiding any navigational errors even though he struggled with low visibility early in the stage, and finished the stage in 12th place, +17m17s behind the stage leader Matthias Walkner.

"I really enjoyed opening the stage today! Visibility was quite low in the morning, so I couldn't ride very fast. But opening today brought me a lot of confidence in my navigation", Branch said.

Hero MotoSports Rally rider Ross Branch

Franco Caimi had a good day as well, with the rider managing to finish the stage in 7th, +2m35s behind teammate Rodriguez, and +7m17s behind the stage leader. This stage finish brought the rider up to 9th place in the overall standings of the rally. Upon his progress, Caimi said "I feel much better about my performance today than yesterday, and that to me is highly motivational and reassuring that I'm on the right track"

Joaquim Rodriguez led the charge for the team however, as the rider finished with a 6th fastest time in the stage, +4m42s behind the leader, despite the dangers of low visibility. Even though he found himself riding alone for most parts of the stage, Rodriguez rode strong to the finish. This finish added to the consistency of the previous stages saw the rider up in 7th in the overall standings of the rally.

Hero MotoSports Rally rider Joaquim Rodriguez

Joaquim is aiming to keep up his consistent and strong pace for the next 2 days of the rally. "I was riding all by myself most of the day, and it's really tough to do that in these deserts, especially with the constrained visibility and the dangers it comes with. So I tried to ride safe and bring the bike home", he added.

Provisional Rankings - Stage 3 (Rally GP Class)

Provisional Overall Standings after Stage 3 - RallyGP class:

Provisional Overall Standings after Stage 3 - All classes: