Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, today announced its rider line-upfor the Dakar Rally 2023. Following an unprecedented Dakar 2022 – where it became the first Indian manufacturer’s team to win a stage at the prestigious rally –2023 will be the team’s seventh consecutive appearance at the Dakar.
At Dakar 2023, the team will have a rider squad of four members –Franco Caimi, Joaquim Rodrigues, Ross Branch, and Sebastian Buhler – two of them being Dakar stage winners. Hero MotoSports Team Rally has had consistent performancesduring the 2022 racing season. The team spent several months in training and testing around the world. Team riders Caimi and Buhler returned to racing after several months of recovery from their crashes in 2021.
This is the seventh Dakar for Joaquim Rodrigues (JRod), who won a stage at the Dakar 2022. With the team since its inception in 2016, JRod’sperformances at the inaugural season of the World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC) were consistent and he is returning to Saudi Arabia with the hopes of rewriting his success. Wolfgang Fischer, Team Manager, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, “I also extend my warm wishes and thanks to all our partners and fans across the world for their continued love and support.”