Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport division of Hero MotoCorp has announced that it will be participating in the upcoming 2018 Merzouga Rally to be held in Morocco from April 15-20, 2018. This will be the team's first international rally of the year, and will also kick-start its campaign 'Road to Dakar 2019'. Hero MotoSports will be represented by riders CS Santosh and Oriol Mena at the Merzouga Rally this year. With both riders completing the 2018 Dakar Rally, Merzouga will be the new testing ground as they polish their skills on the bike.
Both Oriol Mena and CS Santosh secured thier career best finish at Dakar 2018. While Santosh managed to finish 35th overall, Mena took home the title of the best rookie rider for the year, finishing in 7th place. Hero MotoSports has announced that its third rider Joaquim Rodrigues will be serving as a mentor for Merzouga rally, as he still continues his recovery from the injuries of his crast during the first stage of Dakar 2018. The riders will be piloting the Hero RR 450 rally ready motorcycle, which proved to be quite competitive during this year's Dakar outing.
(Indian rider CS Santosh finished 35th overall in Dakar 2018, a personal best)
Hero MotoSports and Hero MotoCorp Head, Chief Technology Officer, - Dr. Markus Braunsperger said, "Merzouga marks the first race in our road to Dakar 2019 and we are really excited about it. We are looking forward to gaining experience and making a good start to our Dakar preparations. Happy to have JRod back in the team, even if it is in the role of a mentor, as he comes with a lot of experience and his presence in the camp will further strengthen the team's spirits."
Heading for Merzouga, CS Santosh said, "Merzouga has always been a happy hunting ground for me. Being the first international race of the year it is also an important first step in our preparations for the Dakar 2019. Really looking forward to a good practice race. Also having our mate JRod with us is going to be nice."
(Dakar rookie Oriol Mena took home the rookie of the year award having finished 7th overall)
In his second year with Hero, Oriol Mena said, "I made my rally debut here last year and also won a stage, so I am really excited to race here again and looking forward to learning more about the sport. We are all very happy that Joaquim will be joining us at the Rally. We will miss his riding but for sure it will be great to have him as a mentor. "
The 2018 Merzouga Rally is being organised in the Merzouga region of Morocco, which is known for its large dunes and extremely soft sand. The rally will start with a short prologue on April 15, which will be followed by five days in rallying that also includes two days of the Marathon stage. The participation will help the team gain valuable race time and experience, which will help in the development for Dakar, the team announced.
