The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is the final rally before the 2022 Dakar Rally and Hero MotoSports have hit the ground running. All the three riders in the Hero stable ended the first stage in the top 10 with Franco Caimi leading the charge with a P3 finish. The Abu Dhabi desert has proved to work with the Hero Rally 450 bike as the riders had to race on 262km of Special Stage and also covering 366km of total distance in the process.
Joaquim Rodrigues had a rough start to the rally as he was not at a hundred percent during the start of the stage. He had low energy going into the stage but he managed to push through it and finish the stage in P7.
Sebastian Buhler got a good taste of the coming stages in his run on the first stage. He was one of the early starters, but quickly managed to overtake the ones ahead. From then he was the lead bike which meant that he did not have a guide for navigation and had to find his way through the dunes of the Abu Dhabi desert. This cost him time but managed to complete the section without putting a foot wrong and finished in P8.
Franco Caimi was the one most in tune with the Hero Rally 450 bike. He had a good rhythm from the start and was managing to stay within the top three throughout the stage.
Caimi expressed, “It is my first time in this desert yet I found a good rhythm on the bike and was able to deliver a good first stage. The bike is working perfectly, so I am happy and motivated for Stage 2.”
Stage 2 will feature the longest stage of the rally at 333kms in length, with an additional 137km of liaison sections. Moreover, CS Santosh is back in the Hero stables, but will not participate in this rally. Stay tuned to evo India for more news and analysis from the world of motorsports!