Hero MotoSports Finishes A Steady Stage 3 With 3 Riders In Overall Top 15

Hero MotoSports had a steady running in the third stage of the 2023 Dakar rally, with three riders finishing in the top 15. Joaquim Rodrigues finished the stage in the highest place in P9 followed by Ross branch in 14^th, Franco Caimi in 16^th, and Sebastian Buhler in 21^st in the Rally GP class. Stage 3 was one of the longer stages, but unlike the previous stage, it was easier, thanks to the terrain which was mostly sandy. The weather also turned on the event, and it had to be halted at the third check point at 377 km, but Hero MotoSports riders had finished the stage before the rain intensified.

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Joaquim Rodrigues finished Stage 3 in P9, and was the fastest of Hero MotoSports' drivers.

“Today's stage was really fast, sand-packed, and definitely a better day than yesterday. I enjoyed the sand, and for the entire day I was riding alone. I tried to push, but the terrain was quite dangerous. (Ricky) Brabec crashed today and he's out of the race. It affects us deeply when we see our friends on the ground. It took me a while to speed up again from there, but the rest of the stage was good for me", Joaquim Rodrigues said after his stage. “I hope Ricky is well, and wish him a speedy recovery,” he added.

After finishing second in stage 2, Sebastian Buhler started the Stage 3 second, and enjoyed most of the stage in a good position. But the rider had a small crash 50 km before the finish line, which meant he lost a small amount of time. "The day did not end like I wished, but this is the Dakar - anything can happen any day,” he said after the stage, finishing P21.

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Sebastian Buhler crashed 50 km before the end of the stage, finishing P21.

Stage 4 of Dakar 2023 will be a 574 km loop around Ha’il, of which 425 km form the special section. The first 100 kms are expected to have exceptionally high dunes, and the rest will be sandy tracks where navigation may be tricky. “A laser like focus will be essential to decipher and follow it”, the organisers said.