Hero MotoSports Team Rally rider Ross Branch has bagged the win in the first full stage of the 2022 Rally of Morocco. This is Branch's second consecutive stage win and places the Indian team in the lead in a world championship race for the very first time. Branch won the prologue, before going on to win the first full stage of 322 km special section with 240 km of transport sections from Agadir to Tan-Tan. Hero's Franco Caimi also finished in the top 10 of Stage 1, finishing in 8th place in the Rally GP. Hero riders Sebastian Buhler and Joaquim Rodrigues finished in the 14th and 17th positions respectively.
Branch started Stage 2 in 15th place and was steady throughout the stage with navigation and covering some of the tricky terrains in the early hours. The second half of the day had him at a much faster pace, finishing the stage in the fastest time. Branch will open Stage 3 tomorrow with minimal errors aiming for yet another victory.
Speaking about the stage win, Ross Branch, Rider - Hero MotoSports, said, "It was indeed a good day for me. Thanks to my win yesterday, I got to start at the 15th position, and that strategy paid off well. It was a little difficult at the beginning with a lot of technical riding through rocky terrain. Later on, as I was trying to pick up the pace, I found Toby Price racing ahead of me, and chasing him helped me set a good pace for myself. Even though we had a lot of rocks and sand flying into the face, I enjoyed the stage, and I'm happy to be back here in one piece! And yes, tomorrow is going to be difficult opening the stage; I'm probably going to lose sometime, but the aim will be to ensure minimal errors and to ride as fast as I can."
Franco Caimi had an impressive run as well navigating through the tricky first half of the stage but managed to finish in 8th place. Hero rider Sebastian Buhler also maintained a steady pace and finished 13th in the overall standings. Dakar veteran Joaquim Rodrigues started the stage well but had a crash in the dust that set him back by almost 50 minutes. Nevertheless, the rider managed to fix his motorcycle and make it to the finishing point. Despite a few injuries, the rider is okay and is now placed 17th in the overall rankings.
Speaking about the stage, Franco Caimi said, "I'm really happy to be back here in the bivouac. It was a pretty tricky stage for me today, being one of the first competitors to open this long stage early in the morning. But I'm really glad that I could do a good job at it, and finish well. I take this as some good training and testing for myself for the upcoming Dakar, which is definitely our main goal. We'll keep pushing for great results in the next few days."
Sebastian Buhler said, "The first stage is done, and it was not an easy day for me. It was quite hard with a lot of tricky navigation and rocky terrains. I feel I've not achieved the rhythm I wished for, but I will definitely be striving each day to get it right. I'm looking forward to a better run in stage 2."
Joaquim Rodrigues said, "It was definitely not how I was expecting this day to turn out. I started the stage really well, with a great pace and fighting for the top positions. However, I got caught up in the dust behind another rider for quite some, and couldn't go past him. At one point, I crashed head on in some camel grass and broke my bike, and injured myself a bit. I lost some time fixing the front of the bike to be able to ride again, but managed to reach the finish safe. The team is putting together my Hero back again, and I hope tomorrow will be a better day."
The first stage of the Rally of Morocco saw the competitors complete a 322 km special section with 240 km of transport sections from Agadir to Tan-Tan. Stage 1B had some challenging terrains including climb and descent through the hills, as well as rocks and sand, all of which demanded highly technical riding. The riders now gear up for the second stage of the rally that will include 316 km special section from Tan-Tan to the desert camp in Laâyoune. The riders will also need to complete 119 km of liasons as they pass through the scenic and scorching Sahara desert.
Provisional Rankings – Stage 1B (Rally GP Class)
1. Ross Branch Hero MotoSports Team Rally 03h 44m 56s
2. Luciano Benavides Husqvarna Factory Racing + 1m 09s
3. Toby Price Red Bull KTM Factory Team + 2m 31s
8. Franco Caimi Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 9m 24s
14. Sebastian Buhler Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 21m 29s
17. Joaquim Rodrigues Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 50m 28s
Provisional Overall Standings after Stage 1B (Rally GP Class)
1. Ross Branch Hero MotoSports Team Rally 04h 46m 24s
2. Luciano Benavides Husqvarna Factory Racing + 2m 05s
3. Toby Price Red Bull KTM Factory Team + 3m 11s
8. Franco Caimi Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 12m 52s
13. Sebastian Buhler Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 24m 17s
17. Joaquim Rodrigues Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 52m 52s
