Hero MotorSports rounded out the 12th stage of the Dakar 2023 with their second consecutive double top 10 finish. Rider Sebastian Buhler continued to lead the charge for the Indian team with his second consecutive top-10 finish at P8 while Ross Branch finished 13 seconds behind at P10.
Franco Caimi, who had finished in the top 10 in the previous stage finished P13.
The two-day marathon stage saw riders traverse 375 km through the Empty Quarter – the largest continuous desert in the world. The stage demanded riders to be at the to of their game with nothing but sand visible for kilometres at a stretch and multiple sand dunes with steep near-vertical drop-offs.
Buhler’s top 10 finish was his fourth in Dakar 2023, placing him at P17 in the overall ranking table. Branch meanwhile completed Stage 12 with his fifth top-10 finish for the rally helping him maintain P19 overall in the Rally GP class.
Caimi’s race however wasn’t as smooth as his teammates. A misjudged jump off a step dune saw the rider land on his feet though the rider was back on course after a brief spell of recuperation. His P10 finish in the stage sees him sit at P12 overall in the class.
“I had quite a big crash in the middle of stage - a big drop off a dune which I missed due to the sunlight. I jumped high and landed on my feet. I'm struggling a bit with my knee now. Barring that, we're here safe and sound, and getting ready for the next stage tomorrow,” Caimi said.
The upcoming Stage 13 will mark the end of the sand dunes for participants in Dakar 2023. The next stage will see riders turn north towards Al Hofuf in a 673 km journey featuring a 153 km times section and a 520 km long road section.
