Hero And TVS Round Off Top 15 Finishes For Indian Teams At Dakar 2020 Stage 1

Dakar 2020 has finally kicked off, with the first 319km stage done and dusted. We have two Indian teams in the form of Hero MotoSports Team Rally and Sherco-TVS Racing taking on this gruelling rally that is being held in Saudi Arabia for the first time. Another first in this rally is the handing out of roadbooks just before the start of a stage. Also, the roadbooks will be coloured beforehand by the organizers. Here’s how the two teams fared at the opening leg of the rally.

Paulo Goncalves, the highest placed Hero MotoSports rider, finished the opening stage in 12th place. His teammate Sebastian Buhler, in 32nd, was the next best finisher for Hero. Coming in at 39th, Indian rider CS Santosh rounded off the finishers for Hero MotoSports. Santosh had a small crash towards the end of the stage while trying to pass some riders and hurt his hand a bit. However Joaquim Rodrigues had to retire from the race due to a mechanical problem.

Rodrigues, or J-Rod, as he is known, will continue to participate in the remaining stages, but is no longer eligible to be classified as a finisher.

At Sherco TVS Racing Adrian Metge was the highest placed finisher at 15th place. He was a last minute replacement for his brother Michael Metge who had to be sidelined due to injuries sustained intesting. His teammates Johnny Aubert and Lorenzo Santino finished 22nd and 26th place in the opening leg. 

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The last remaining TVS rider and the second Indian rider, Harith Noah started off his debut Dakar campaign with a 111th place finish after a massive crash left him with bruising and swelling around his right eye. Noah will continue to ride provided the medical team continues to deem him fit enough to do so. 

While this was a cautious start for both Indian teams, there’s still another 11 stages of racing to go and anything can happen. Follow ZigWheels for continued coverage of the motorsport crucible that kicks off the international motorsport calendar in style.

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