The week-long 2018 Merzouga Rally ended last week with the riders facing a motocross style final stage traversing through dunes for the whole day. Both Indian teams brought all the bikes home with Sherco TVS fielding four riders and Hero MotoSports Team Rally having two riders for the rally. The Indian contingent posted a strong finish in the rally, taking spots in under top 20, while TVS even managed to finish under top 10. Sherco TVS' Joan Pedrero finished at P7 overall, while the only rider in the championship - CS Santosh for Hero finished in the 19th place.
Sherco TVS' other riders including Duplessis Diego Martin finished in 11th place, while rookie rider Vanni Cominotto came in 21st with rider Lorenzo Santolino coming in 31st at the end of the five-day rally. The Hero contingent was led by this year's Dakar rookie of the year Oriol Mena, who finished 15th, at the end of the rally, followed by teammate CS Santosh at P19.
Speaking on the rally, Hero's CS Santosh said, "It was our first international rally after the Dakar. I am really glad to have finished the Merzouga, as I was a little worried after the crash I had at the Desert Storm. Overall I think I made fewer mistakes this year and improved a lot in my speed and navigation, this is been a good learning experience for me. The bike and the team have been fantastic and helped me get the bike home every day. Now I will look to build upon this experience for the next races to come."
(Sherco TVS rider Joan Pedrero showed strong pace throughout the rally, finishing 7th overall)
Speaking about the spectacular rally, Hero's Oriol Mena said, "This was the last and the shortest stage of the rally with only 48 km to cover, which they further reduced to 40 km due to some last minute changes. I started with the fastest group of riders but decided to maintain my own speed because I did not want to take unnecessary risk in the last stage. My focus was to get my Hero bike across the finish line and I am happy to have put the bike in the Parc Ferme. One more race in the books for me and will be going home with rich experience."
Meanwhile, the top spots in the 2018 Merzouga Rally were taken by Honda Racing riders Joan Barreda and Kevin Benvides securing the top two spots, while Pablo Quintanilla of Husqvarna Racing secured the third spot on the podium.
The 2018 Merzouga Rally is considered as a starting point for the Dakar training and is rightly called "mini-Dakar" with riders traversing through mountains, dunes and ever changing altitudes. Both teams had their share of highs and lows through the five stage event, while Santosh managed to continue despite a horrific crash during Stage 2. The learnings from the Merzouga Rally are only going to help the teams further strengthen their position, as they aim to compete in Dakar 2019.
