Hero MotoSports Team Rally riders finishes inside top 10 in Stage 4 of the Kazakhstan Rally

Rains complicated the terrains and demanded a measure drive by the Hero riders

A cautious ride by the Hero MotoSports riders helped continue the momentumHero MotoSports

Published on:

13 Jun 2021, 10:01

3 min read

The Hero Motosports Team Rally finished the Stage 4 of the Kazakhstan Rally with all their riders securing positions within the top 10. Joaquim Rodrigues outshined his teammates and secured sixth in the stage. Franco Caimi carried a steady pace throughout the stage but finished ninth. Sebastian Buhler on the other hand finished eighth, as he struggled on the tricky terrain due to the rain. But the damp conditions also meant that he could follow other riders closely without having to worry about dust.

The rain made the stage more suitable to J-Rod's instinctsHero MotoSports

J-Rod, at the end of the day’s stage said, “Today was a better stage for me - it felt more like a Dakar stage. A lot of sandy and technical tracks, they were fast, but not like the last few days, so I was more comfortable. We got a lot of rain today, so I had to be careful at some slippery spots. It was a good stage for me overall, and we have got just one more to go."

The sand proved to be challenging for the Hero ridersHero MotoSports

The Hero riders had to maintain their pace and had to conduct a measured drive after the terrain worsened due to the rain. Caimi was not used to riding the bike on sand but managed to finish in the top 10. In the overall standings after Stage 4, Caimi is leading from his teammates in eighth, Buhler is placed ninth and J-Rod is tenth. Ross Branch still leads the standings overall on his Monster Energy Yamaha, with KTM’s Matthias Walkner in second and Branch’s teammate Adrien Van Beveren, a close third.

Stage 5 will be the final dash to the finish lineHero MotoSports

The final 270km Stage of the Kazakhstan rally will feature some stony deserts, wadi crossings, fast tracks, rocky ruts and some technical descents. This will encourage a close fight between the riders and the constructors all the way to the finish line.

The results are as follows :

Provisional Rankings Stage 4 :

POS NAME TEAM TIMING

1 Skyler Howers Rockstar Energy Husqvarna 3H 26M 48S

2 Matthias Walkner Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +02M 13S

3 Daniel Sanders Gasgas Factory Racing +04M 06S

6 Joaquim Rodrigues Hero Motosports Team Rally +08M 35S

8 Sebastian Buhler Hero Motosports Team Rally +12M 28S

9 Franco Caimi Hero Motosports Team Rally +12M 44S

Overall Rankings after Stage 4:

POS NAME TEAM TIMING

1 Ross Branch Monster Energy Yamaha Rally 13H 18M 04S