Hero ​​MotoSports finishes sixth overall in 2025 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge

Hero MotoSports Team Rally, which was the only Indian team at 2025 Dakar Rally, took on their next challenge by heading back to the Arabian desert for the 2025 edition of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (ADDC). The team had emerged as the winner of the previous edition of the ADDC and is now back for the 2025 edition with a two-rider lineup consisting of Nacho Cornejo and Ross Branch. Here’s a look at Hero MotoSports’ overall performance at the 2025 ADDC.

What is the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge?

This is the 34th edition of the ADDC and it is a rally-raid event that has been on the W2RC calendar for four consecutive years now. The ADDC was relocated to Abu Dhabi in 2009 and since then it has adopted a 5-day racing plus Prologue format, which is in line with the World Championship norms. The route of the ADDC would take competitors on a 1920km journey across the desert, including one of the remotest parts of the UAE – the Al Qua’a Region.

Prologue

Hero MotoSports was competing in the premier Rally GP class with riders Ross Branch and Nacho Cornejo, crossing the finish line of the Prologue stage of the ADDC in fourth and seventh positions respectively, earning them good start positions for the first stage of the rally. Unlike the usual sandy conditions, the 11 km Prologue stage took place in the outskirts of Al Ain city, featuring fast gravel tracks with many sharp turns, few wadi (valley) crossings and dust.

Stage 1

Ross Branch finished the first stage of the 2025 ADDC with the sixth fastest time, while his teammate Nacho Cornejo crossed the finish line just 30 seconds behind Ross, in 7th position in Stage 1. The first stage of the 2025 ADDC took competitors straight into the heart of the Abu Dhabi desert on a 400km route towards Mezaira’a. The stage consisted of soft sand in many areas and also required the riders to keep an eye on their fuel consumption. Branch, who is still recovering from his Dakar injuries, was not able to find a good rhythm during the stage but was able to make up for lost time before the finish.

Stage 2

The second stage of the ADDC was set in the Liwa province, dominated by sand and dunes, and the stage featured sections which crossed dried up lake beds and dirt road stretches. The 300km loop around the town of Mezaira’a almost took competitors to the Saudi Arabian border along with the tallest sand dunes in the region. Nacho Cornejo finished the stage in second place, which meant that he also moved up in the overall standings by two spots to fifth position. His teammate Ross Branch faced a technical issue 107km into the special and was forced to withdraw from the stage. As per the rules for the Rally GP class contestants, Branch would not be allowed to restart the race the next day. “Unfortunately this is the end of the rally for me at Abu Dhabi. We get into the sport knowing that there are a lot of things that could go wrong, and unfortunately today one of those caught me out. I encountered a small technical issue while in the dunes, and I tried my best to fix it and get going – but it just wasn't our day,” Branch said.

Stage 3

Stage 3 was the first of the Marathon days where all the competitors would have to spend their night away from their assistance teams and prepare their vehicles themselves for the next stage. The route for Stage 3 of the ADDC was brand-new, with a 388km journey from Mezaira’a to the Al Qua’a region. 237km of the route would be a timed special, and this stage was made up of 80 per cent sand and dunes. Nacho Cornejo was only the second rider to start the third stage after having finished the previous two stages. He ended up crossing the finish line at the end of Stage 3 in 7th position, while maintaining his place in the overall standings. The competitors camped overnight in the Al Qua’a region, also known as the ‘the darkest spot in UAE’, leading to it becoming famous for stargazing. Stage 4 of the race would have the competitors return to the Mezaira’a bivouac, using a 394km route of which 300km would be timed.

Stage 4

The penultimate stage of the 2025 ADDC was the longest stage of the race, and this is where the competitors of the ADDC were introduced to a section of the Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter). In this section, the dunes stretched out in long, parallel ridges, and these were separated by vast dried-up salt flats which are known locally as ‘sabkhas’. Cornejo, who was by now Hero’s sole rider in the race, crossed the finish line of the fourth stage in third place. By the end of this stage, the rider found himself in 6th position when it comes to the overall standings. “I’ve been pushing all day as much as I could, and it has rewarded me with another stage podium. Now comes the last stage tomorrow in a very tight battle. It’s going to be a very hard fight, but we’re determined to do our best until the last moment,” Cornejo said after the stage.

Stage 5

The fifth and final stage of the 2025 ADDC had the competitors make a dash from Mezair’a to Abu Dhabi, and only 167km of the 364km journey would be timed in this special. The podium ceremony for the ADDC would be held in Abu Dhabi, by the shores of the Arabian Gulf, and the ADDC was also the second round of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) 2025. Nacho Cornejo from Hero MotoSports Team Rally put in a consistent performance throughout the six days of the rally, and the rider crossed the finish line of the 2025 ADDC with the 7th fastest time of the stage. Coming to the overall standings, Cornejo finished in sixth place. Commenting on his performance, Cornejo said, “I’m glad to have made it to the finish line of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2025. We kept pushing and were fighting for the podium until the last Stage. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it, but I’m happy that we could give it our all. A big thank you to everyone who supported me here, my team, mechanics, engineers, physio, managers and everyone working tirelessly in the background. We’ll come back stronger!”

Hero MotoSports now has its sights set on a brand new race on the World Championship calendar, the South African Safari Rally, which will be hosted in May 2025. This should ideally mean a home ground advantage for Hero rider Ross Branch who hails from Botswana, and the team is likely to capitalise on Branch’s expertise in the region.