Hero MotoSports has become the first Indian team to win a World Rally-Raid Championship round, with Aaron Mare’s victory in the 2024 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. With this, the team also rises to the top of the RallyGP rankings, 13 points ahead of Honda, who didn’t participate in this round.
The team also made history at the Dakar Rally earlier this year, with Ross Branch’s second place result.
- Aaron Mare wins his first World Championship race
- Hero leading championship, ahead of Honda
Aaron Mare wins Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge for Hero
Mare was called in as a last-minute replacement for Sebastian Buhler, who is still recovering from his Dakar crash. The South African ended up winning two stages en-route to taking overall victory, 4mins 56secs ahead of Duust Rally Team’s Konrad Dabrowski.
"It was an amazing opportunity, and I made the most of it. I was also fortunate to ride along with Ross Branch who came fresh from his Dakar podium, and learnt a lot from him. We were teammates several years back, and it was a wonderful time spent with him here," said Mare.
Hero, Branch lead World Rally-Raid Championship
Dakar 2024 podium finisher Ross Branch encountered a technical issue on Stage 1 and lost nearly 45 minutes as a result. But he made up for lost ground over the next couple of stages and finished fourth overall.
This handed him just enough points to take the lead in the World Rally-Raid Championship, overtaking Honda’s Ricky Brabec. Hero MotoSports also moves to the top of the manufacturer’s leader board in the championship.
Interestingly, Hero faced a number of setbacks even before the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge started. Customs clearance issues and the last-minute rider change left the team with just under a day to prepare for the rally.
"We are very happy to be at the finish line as winners of this iconic race! As a team, our achievement is triple-fold – it's our first victory at a World Championship race, it's the first time we are leading the World Championship Rider rankings (with Ross), and it’s also the first time Hero is leading the Manufacturer rankings in a World Championship!" said team manager Wolfgang Fischer.
"It has been a roller-coaster week for us – a last minute replacement for Sebastian, and then delayed arrival of our bikes from customs. However, I am really happy with how Aaron stepped up to the challenge and did a wonderful job all through the race, bringing us this fantastic result. Ross was also able to earn the maximum points in the World Championship. I'm extremely happy with what the team has achieved, and look forward to the rest of the season."
Hero MotoSports will next compete in the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid from April 2-7. The third round of the World Rally-Raid Championship will cover 1,000km across Portugal and Spain.
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Hero MotoSports first Indian team to secure Dakar podium