- Competing riders will be CS Santosh, Oriol Mena and Joaquim Rodrigues
- Hero MotoSports will compete in Dakar for the third time
- The upcoming season will be held only in Peru which comprises of 70 per cent dirt
Hero MotoSports announced its 2019 Dakar Rally team which comprises of CS Santosh, Oriol Mena and Joaquim Rodrigues. The company will be competing in the rally for the third time. Hero MotoSports also showcased the Hero 450RR rally bike for the upcoming season.
As for the riders, CS Santosh will be competing in the rally for the third time for Hero and this is his fifth attempt, overall. Joaquim Rodrigues, who had crashed in the 2018 Dakar Rally, will be making his comeback after recovering from his injuries. And, Oriel Mena will be riding for the second time in the Dakar. In the last edition, he made his Dakar debut and finished 7th, and was crowned the rookie rider of the year.
Regarding the Hero 450RR rally bike, the company had majorly overhauled the bike for the 2018 season. Thus, it has gone through minor alterations for the 2019 season. Hero says updates have been made on its suspension, geometry and cooling system to make it a better machine to tackle the sand dunes.
The 2019 Dakar Rally will be hosted only by Peru and this is the first time a single country will be witnessing the event. The rally course spans across 5,000 kms around borders of Peru and it has been divided into 10 stages. Notably, the upcoming season comprises of 70 per cent of sand dunes for its course. To tackle this, Hero MotoSports has put in more efforts in making its riders better around the sand dunes.
