Hero MotoSports Team Rally rider Joaquim Rodrigues has announced his retirement from competitive motorcycle racing, marking an end to an illustrious career. The Portuguese rider's career spanning 35 years saw him compete in the biggest motorcycling events, notably off-road races, including seven editions of the Dakar Rally.
Rodrigues competed in the Motocross World Championship and the AMA Supercross in the US. Participating in Dakar brought him global recognition as Rodrigues won a stage in 2022, while his best-ever overall result was 17th in 2019. Joaquim has also been instrumental in shaping up Hero MotoSports, becoming an integral part of the team and its Dakar effort over the years.
Speaking about his retirement, Joaquim Rodrigues said, “I felt it was time to leave, and I should do it in the same honest way I’ve always managed my career. It wasn’t right to be there deceiving Hero, the sponsors, those who have always supported me, by being physically present when my mind was telling me it was time to stop. So I decided to leave on my own terms. That’s why I made the decision not to return to professional competition.”
Rodrigues crashed in the early stages of Dakar 2024, ending his run prematurely. The rider had a tumultuous career in the last few years both mentally and physically. While several crashes took a toll on his body, the loss of brother-in-law and teammate Paulo Goncalves during Dakar 2020 was a turning point. The rider managed to still train and race for another four seasons and gave his best to the team.
Rodrigues is yet to announce his post-retirement plans but is expected to stay close to the Hero MotoSports team in the short term.
