Joaquim Rodrigues brings home another top 10 finish in Stage 8 of the 2022 Dakar Rally. The Hero MotoSports rider had a solid ride through the stage and finished in P8. He lost a little time in the middle section but managed to cover the losses in the final section of the stage. Aaron Mare had a steady ride and finished in the same position he started the stage from i.e. P21.
Stage 8 was a mammoth of a stage as it took the riders on a 800km journey south of Riyadh, reaching the town of Wadi ad-Dawasir. The long liaisons and sand-packed terrain were one of the highlights of the stage. The first 200km of the timed stage was nothing but sand and dunes. Finding the right path from one valley to another was unusually difficult in the day’s 400 km special section.
After the stage, J-Rod said, “I had another good stage. It was really fast, but it was a good race. The Hero Rally 450 has been performing at its best, and I’m happy with my performance as well. We’ve been posting consistent results, and I hope we can keep it up till the end of the race.”
This is what Aaron had to say ,“The stage started really well, and I enjoyed riding in the dunes till about (to) refuel. After refuel, the tracks became quite fast and windy, though I enjoyed that as well because it wasn’t as rocky as the previous stages. I also felt a lot more comfortable with the navigation, and finished without making any mistakes. I’m happy with my consistent performance, and hoping for a better result ahead.”
Stage 9 will be a 490 km loop around Wadi Ad-Dawasir, featuring mountains and tracks that find their way around the canyons. Although there will be less sand than the previous stage, this short stage is still expected to be a difficult one as navigation poses to be one of the biggest challenges of the stage. For more news and updates from the 2022 Dakar Rally, stay tuned to evo India!