Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport division of Hero MotoCorp Ltd, is geared up for the first Dakar Series race - the Afriquia Merzouga Rally - which will be held in Morocco from 7-12 May 2017. The rally is open to motorcyclists, quads and utility task vehicles (UTVs) and will be the precursor to the Dakar 2018. The Hero MotoSports Team Rally will be represented by Indian ace rider CS Santosh and Portuguese supercross star Joaquim Rodrigues.
CS Santosh at India Baja
While C.S. Santosh will make a much-awaited comeback to rally racing, after missing the India Baja 2017, his co-rider Joaquim Rodrigues or 'J-Rod' as he is popularly known, will look to build on his winning momentum from the India Baja 2017, which took place in Rajasthan in April.
"I have made immense progress in the past couple of months and I am glad to be back here with the team. I have been training with some great people and working on all the aspects, be it body or mind or motorcycles. However, I am going into the Merzouga Rally with the expectation of learning and having a great time being back to racing on my bike," Santosh said.
Joaquim Rodrigues
The team has had back-to-back impressive performances this year - Dakar in January, podium finish at the Desert Storm in February and victory for J-Rod at the India Baja in April. The team is set to take its winning momentum to the Merzouga Rally.
"It has been a great start to the year. The recent victory at the India Baja Rally has given me a fresh boost of energy and I am really excited to be back at Merzouga Rally. I am happy with my recent performances and hoping for a good result here as well," J-Rod said.
Joaquim Rodrigues India Baja Rally 2017 Hero
The eighth edition of the Afriquia Merzouga Rally involves six days of racing in south-east Morocco, including 1200 km of fully off-road specials. This year, 145 vehicles (88 bikes, 23 quads and 34 SidebySide) for a total of 178 competitors will be at the start of the Rally. The Merzouga Rally will be the precursor to the big one - the Dakar 2018 - and finishers at Merzouga will qualify to participate at the Dakar 2018.
