Hero MotorSports, the factory rally team of Hero MotoCorp has announced its rider line-up for the 2023 Dakar Rally. Long-time Hero rider Joaquim Rodrigues returns for the 2023 edition having previously competing in the rally six times. Sebastian Buhler and Franco Caimi make a return to the 2023 edition of the rally having had to sit the 2022 rally out following an injuries.
Joining the three rides is Ross Branch who signed for the team earlier this year with the 2023 rally being his first Dakar outing with Hero. The rally will also be Caimi’s first Dakar outing with the hero factory team.
A notable figure missing from the team is veteran Indian rider CS Santosh who parted ways with Hero MotoCorp a few weeks ago.
Rodrigues is the veteran of the factory team having joined Hero MotorSports Team Rally at its inception in 2016. His last outing in 2022 saw the rider bag his maiden win in one of the race stages while also placing P3 in another. Caimi will be making his fifth appearance at Dakar while Buhler returns to the rally for the third time with Hero MotorSport.
Branch meanwhile has competed in the rally since 2019 and also placed first in a stage in the 2020 edition.
The riders will all be using the Hero 450 Rally bike upgraded to meet the latest regulations and featuring a new 160 kmph top speed.
The 2023 Dakar rally returns to Saudi Arabia for the fourth consecutive year with the 15 day rally spread across 14 stages – two more than the previous edition. The rally will kick off in Jeddah on December 31 with participants racing their way to Ha’il before heading south-east into the empty quarter before turning north to finish at Dammam on January 15. The participants will traverse over 8,600 km in the gruelling rally with riders only getting a rest day after the eight stages.
