Hero MotoSports announces three-rider squad for Dakar Rally 2025

Hero MotoSports At Dakar 2025

Hero MotoSports Team Rally has been participating in the Dakar Rally for the last eight years and is returning to Saudi Arabia for the sixth consecutive year. The team completed the 2024 edition with a commendable podium finish.The 2024 Dakar Rally saw Hero bag its first podium in the rally with an impressive second-place overall finish. Team rider Ross Branch led the race from the top on four days and stayed in the second spot on eight days during the 12 stages. This made Hero the first Indian factory team to make it to the Dakar podium.

Also Read : Hero XPulse 200 4V Pro Dakar Edition launched in India, priced at ₹1.67 lakh

Speaking about the team’s entry in Dakar 2025, Wolfgang Fischer, Team Manager, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, “2024 has been an incredible year for us, full of milestones and achievements. Finishing second at Dakar — a first for any Indian manufacturer — and winning the 2024 World Championship have given us a new level of respect and recognition in motorsports. Looking ahead to Dakar 2025, the challenge is bigger, the expectations are higher, but we come well-prepared. The team is looking in peak shape and we are ready to face any challenge that comes on.

“We are entering the 2025 season with a stronger than ever three-rider squad, and our Hero 450 Rally bikes are fine-tuned to conquer even the most gruelling conditions. We’re incredibly grateful to our partners and fans around the world for their ongoing support. With their belief in us, we are super confident of delivering a thrilling performance at Dakar 2025 and bring even more pride into the Hero MotoSports family,” he added further.

Hero MotoSports’ Three-Rider Squad At Dakar 2025

The Indian team is now looking to build on this momentum. It is also the sixth manufacturer to win an FIM World Championship, a first for an Indian team, with rider Ross Branch becoming the FIM Rally-Raid World Champion of 2024 for the team.

This will be Branch’s third outing with Hero MotoSports at Dakar and will be contending for the title. Meanwhile, Sebastian Buhler came close to winning his first Dakar stage in 2024 and will be looking to maximise his potential of finishing on the podium in 2025. The factory rider has also shown a consistent performance this year having secured his first FIM World Championship race podium at Rally Raid Portugal, finishing second overall.

Lastly, Nacho Cornejo is the latest recruit with Hero MotoSports and will be making his Dakar debut with the team. The Chilean rider previously finished Dakar in fourth place in 2020 taking nine stage wins. Cornejo’s skills were also instrumental in supporting Ross Branch at Rallye Du Maroc 2024.

2025 Dakar Rally: What You Need To Know

The 47th Dakar Rally kicks off next month and will feature a prologue and 12 stages starting January 3, 2025. The rally kicks off in Bisha in Saudi Arabia and will span over 7,700 km across the massive desert. The upcoming edition will have five stages with separate courses for FIM and FIA vehicles covering 45 per cent of the timed distance. The 2025 Dakar will also have new challenges for competitors including the return of the 48-hour Chrono stage.

The 2025 Dakar will also be the opening race for the fourth edition of the World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC). Hero MotoSports is a Rally GP participant at W2RC 2025 and will attend its five rounds starting with the Dakar, followed by the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in February, South African Safari Rally in May, BP Ultimate Rally Raid in Portugal in September, and the finale Rallye du Maroc in October 2025.

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First Published Date: 25 Dec 2024, 20:41 PM IST