We have made significant investments to enhance our R&D capabilities (CIT being one of our crown jewels) and widen our global footprint across markets. Our products are known for their robustness, reliability and quality. It is thus a natural progression for us to engage in International Rally Sports - which tests the sturdiness of products and components. The Hero MotoSports Team Rally was born in May 2016.
Staying true to our vision of putting India on the motorsports map, we have partnered with Speedbrain GmbH, the German off-road racing specialist. Speedbrain brings on board their extensive experience as the Rally World Champion 2013 and the former factory team of BMW, Husqvarna, Honda HRC and the technical expertise in making Rally bikes.
We have roped in India’s finest rider, C S Santosh and the experienced, Portuguese Supercross and Motocross expert, Joaquim Rodrigues, popularly known as ‘JRod’, as our Pilots.
C S SANTOSH is a household name in the arena of motorsports in India. He is now a three time Dakar participant and the only Indian to finish the Dakar twice and the first ever Indian to do so. He has won pretty much everything aboard a dirt bike in India for nine straight years. CS has participated in nine international rallies and took his victories in the Baja India, Raid-de-Himalaya, and the Desert Storm in his maiden attempts.
JOAQUIM RODRIGUES, from Portugal, is a top international professional racer who has won titles and races in Motocross, Supercross and Enduro. He is a decorated racer with over 15 years of professional racing experience. He is a Rally Rookie and did his first rally ever with Hero MotoSports Team Rally at Merzouga.
With Speedbrain at the helm, and our two pilots leading the charge, we are confident of having the right combination required to make an impact at the world rally stage.
THE MAROC DIARIES PART I – MERZOUGA RALLY, MAY 2016
The very first challenge for the team came in the form of the Merzouga Rally in May 2016. Merzouga Rally is considered as a ‘Mini Dakar’, with similar regulations as Dakar, but much more navigation and open deserts than the Dakar. It spanned over 1,500 kilometres and saw the participation of over 100 pro-rally riders from across the globe. JRod finished his first ever rally raid at an impressive 9th position while C S Santosh finished on 16th.
THE MAROC DIARIES PART II – OILIBYA RALLY, OCTOBER 2016
The Oilibya Rally, also considered as the ‘Mini Dakar’, is the last rally of the FIM Cross Country Rally World Championship before the Dakar. The rally tested close to 60 top riders from across the globe over a distance of close to 2000 kilometres. The outcome was another strong performance from the team with JRod finishing at 14th position and C S Santosh finishing 32nd in the overall rankings, but not without making an impression within and outside the team.
HERO AT THE DAKAR 2017
For a team that made its Dakar debut, both riders, Joaquim Rodrigues and C.S. Santosh, completed the gruelling 9,000 kilometres of the Dakar in an impressive fashion. We proved that we have the grit and the talent to succeed at the world’s toughest race.
Rodrigues, who finished the Dakar in the 12th place, tackled the dunes, the fast racing lines and everything that the Dakar threw at him with great poise and skill. India’s finest off-road rider C S Santosh also finished the Dakar in the 47th place in the overall rankings, becoming the only Indian rider to do so twice.
TAKING THE DESERT BY THE STORM
Our team entered their first ever rally on the home turf in Rajasthan – the Desert Storm. Hero MotoSports Team Rally entered the Desert Storm only with C S Santosh, the 3-time winner.
For the most part of the Rally, our ace rider C S Santosh led the stages winning 6 out of 9 stages that included one cancelled stage as well, until a fateful crash on the 2nd Day of the rally turned the tides. Despite the injury and pushing against all the odds to finish the race, Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm gave the Hero MotoSports Team Rally their first ever Podium finish in the world of Rally Sport as we finished 3rd in the overall rankings.
With successful finishes in 4 rallies, including the toughest race on the planet – the Dakar, ending in a Podium finish at the Desert Storm, the year marked an eventful and highly encouraging debut year for the Hero MotoSports Team Rally.
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