Hero MotoSports rider Joaquim Rodrigues suffered a fall 90 kilometres into Stage 4 of Dakar 2023. The crash resulted in a left femur fracture for Rodrigues, and the rider had to retire from the race as he was airlifted to a nearby hospital in Ha'il by Dakar medical assistance team. Rodrigues will undergo a surgery and hopes to recover soon. It was a tough outing for the team in the stage 4, with other riders toughing it out as well.
Joaquim Rodrigues suffered from a broken left femur after his crash, and was airlifted to a hospital.
“I had a crash and it broke my leg. I'm feeling much better now at the hospital, and will be undergoing a surgery," Rodrigues said. "I thank all our fans and partners for the concern and support, and I hope to be back in action soon.”
Sebastian Bühler also had a difficult day, as his bike ran out of fuel in the first stint of the day, same as Ross Branch.
Despite facing the psychological challenge of knowing his team-mate had suffered from an injury, Franco Caimi put in the best performance of the team for Stage 4, finishing the stage in P16. He is currently 13th in the overall standings for Rally GP class.
Franco Caimi finished the Stage 4 in P16, and sits in P13 in the overall standings.
On the other hand, Hero's other two riders, Sebastian Bühler & Ross Branch both ran out of fuel on the first 250 km stint of the stage. Due to the wet & sandy terrain, their bikes battled with mechanical issues which resulted in demand for more fuel, and the pair had to wait and borrow fuel from other competitors to reach the re-fuelling stop. Both of them lost a significant amount of time, and finished in 22nd and 23rd position in Stage 4 respectively. Their places in the standings have also been adversely affected by this, as Bühler is now 21st, while Branch is 22nd in the overall Rally GP class standings.
Ross Branch was the last of Hero MotoSports' finishing riders, as he completed the stage in P23.
Stage 5 of Dakar 2023 will be a second loop around Ha'il, and will take the competitors 645 km eastward, in an expanse of soft sand featuring dunes and camel grass.
