Hero MotoSports Team Rally won the 33rd Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, a highly prestigious event. This feat follows the team's historic podium performance at the Dakar Rally in January 2024 and marks their debut triumph at a World Championship race. Rally GP class racer Aaron Mare rode heroically to win the difficult 6-day desert rally for Hero MotoSports. The young South African living in Dubai showed remarkable skill despite replacing injured factory rider Sebastian Buhler. Buhler is still on the mend after his Dakar disaster. Mare deservedly finished on top of the podium after winning two stages and dominating the race for four days in a row. Hero MotoSports has become the leading manufacturer in the FIM World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) 2024 after accumulating important points from this victory. For an Indian manufacturer, this is a historic first, to achieve such heights on a worldwide scale.
An impressive fourth position was achieved by the team's second factory rider, Ross Branch, who had previously finished on the podium in Dakar 2024. Branch has achieved a remarkable feat for Team Hero MotoSports by increasing his point total to 50 and establishing himself as the leader of the World Rally-Raid Championship 2024. He finished second in the Rally GP class at this second event of the season.
About the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
A week of frantic racing in the searing sun in the Rub Al' Khali kicks off with the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, famous for its tough 100% sand and desert terrains. Problems with customs clearance and a last-minute rider replacement were only the beginning of the obstacles that Team Hero faced before the race even started. Regardless, the tenacious crew overcame these challenges, having less than 24 hours to get ready for the race, and they routinely dominated the competition, eventually winning the Rally.
Aaron Mare said: "I'm super happy to get the overall victory at ADDC. I can't thank Hero MotoSports, Waffi and the team enough for getting me up here. 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. I look forward to the upcoming races in the year.”
Ross Branch said: “This was a bittersweet rally for me. After our setback in Stage 1, we managed to gather up the maximum Championship points - which was our main objective. I got to the finish line safe, and I'm really happy with how the race went. I got to open the stages on several days, won a couple of Stages, had a lot of fun and gained some more experience. A big thank you and heartfelt appreciation to the team and everyone else who got us here. We will now head to Portugal on a high!”
The BP Ultimate Rally-Raid, which will take place in Portugal and Spain and serve as the third round of the W2RC 2024, is less than one month away, so the squad is getting ready for it.
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