Dakar Rally 2023: Hero MotoSports team faces challenging day

Franco Caimi finished Stage 4 in the 16th position, followed by Sebastian Buhler in the 22nd and Ross Branch in the 23rd position in the Rally GP class. Joaquim Rodrigues met with an unfortunate crash around the 90 km mark, due to which he had to exit the race.

Living up to its expectation of being "the toughest Dakar so far in Saudi", Dakar 2023 has been throwing varied challenges to competitors since Day 1. With unusually tall sand dunes and tricky navigation through sandy tracks, Stage 4 was not short of drama.

Joaquim Rodrigues is the latest in the list of top competitors who have exited Dakar 2023 due to injury. Around the 90km mark today, JRod suffered a fall that rendered him immovable due to a broken left femur. Airlifted to the hospital in Ha'il by the Dakar medical assistance team, JRod will now undergo surgery and hopes to recover soon.

Seeing his teammate injured was psychologically demanding for Franco Caimi. However, he mustered courage and picked up the pace to finish the stage in good time. Franco currently holds the 13th position in the overall Rally GP class standings.

It was an even more difficult day for Sebastian Buhler and Ross Branch, who ran out of fuel in the 250km-long first part of the stage. The rains from the previous day rendered the sandy terrain wet and hard, and their machines battled with technical issues that consumed more fuel than normal.

Both of them had to wait a considerable amount of time before receiving help from trailing competitors who lent them fuel to reach the refuelling point. However, even with the heavy time losses, they battled on to the finish line, demonstrating the true spirit of Heroes. Undeterred, Ross and Buhler will continue their fight in the race, even though their overall ranks have been adversely affected today.

The entire Hero MotoCorp team wishes a fast recovery for Joaquim and hopes for his speedy return to racing.

The second loop around Ha'il in Stage 5 will take the competitors eastward on another 645 km stage, a vast expanse of soft sand, peppered with dunes and camel grass. Dune jumping proficiency will play a huge role in gaining or losing minutes in this slalom-type section.

"Today was a really challenging day, much more than usual. Yes, it was physically demanding as has been the story so far. But psychologically too, it was a really tough stage for me. Seeing your teammate injured in the beginning of the stage is not something you can emotionally overcome quickly. So, it's been a tricky stage, but happy to reach back in the bivouac safe. We're doing some small changes on the bike to have a better stage tomorrow," said Hero MotoSports Team Rally rider Franco Caimi.

"It was not an easy day today. I was doing very well in the beginning, but a few kilometres before the Neutralization zone, I ran out of fuel. The sand was wet and very hard from the rains, and the bike takes up more fuel than usual in these conditions. After waiting for quite a long time, another competitor helped me with some fuel to reach the refuelling point. My time loss today affects my overall standing, but we're not giving up. I'm grateful to have finished the stage and will continue the race. I also wish JRod a speedy recovery from his leg injury, and hope to see him soon," said Hero MotoSports Team Rally rider Sebastian Buhler.

"I had a really long and unlucky day. At 66km we had a small technical issue that set us back by a lot of minutes. Anyway, I managed to get going and finally brought my bike back to the finish line - which is the most important. I'm a little disappointed, but I'm getting ready to go back to the start line for tomorrow, and put my Hero 450 Rally on the map," said Hero MotoSports Team Rally rider Ross Branch.

"I had a crash and it broke my leg. I'm feeling much better now at the hospital and will be undergoing surgery. I thank all our fans and partners for the concern and support, and I hope to be back in action soon, " said Hero MotoSports Team Rally rider Joaquim Rodrigues. (ANI)