Dakar Rally 2018 Final Stage Results

It was a glorious day at Cordoba as the Dakar Rally 2018 came to a grand end after a gruelling 14-day journey. As the competitors crossed the finishing line, the emotions rolled high amidst the cheer from the teams and the crowd alike.

For Hero MotoSports Team Rally, it was a particularly special day as they delivered their best ever Dakar performance, which is even more commendable given that it is only their second Dakar. Oriol Mena impressed everyone by delivering an excellent 7th position finish in his debut Dakar. Delivering consistent top 10 stages towards the end of the rally while everyone was getting tired shows the kind of skills and stamina he had, and also his ability to learn the game fast. He was also adjudged the best rookie rider of the rally for his special performance.

Juan Pedrero from Sherco TVS also completed in the top 10 rankings in stage 14 with an overall finish in 11th position.

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Commenting on this amazing achievement, Oriol Mena said, “I am really happy with my results. I enjoyed the last stage a lot and it felt as if these 120 kms were longer than my life. I am at the finish line and also won in the rookie class so it’s a real good result and what can I say, dreams do come true.”

The famous Indian MotoSports rider CS Santosh became the first and only Indian rider to have finished the Dakar thrice, an honour that is going to make him and all the Indian fans proud. Not only did he finish Dakar 2018, he also delivered his best performance yet by finishing in 34th position this year. His performance was particularly commendable given the higher competition level and the stages being the toughest this year.

Commenting on his successful completion of the Dakar, CS Santosh said, “It was as tough Dakar this year for sure, every day you had to bow down to the stages. I had lots of ups and downs, some high points in the beginning, then some lows as well. I think it was everything that you would envision a Dakar to be. Lot of stages we off-piste but much difficult from before. I am happy to make it to the finish line of another Dakar. My best Dakar so far so I am really happy to be going home with that.”

Celebrating the achievement that has put Hero MotoSports on the world map, Team Manager Wolfgang Fischer said, “Finishing this Dakar at Cordoba is really the toughest experience in our Dakar years so far. Starting with the accident of Joaquim Rodrigues, getting into the tough stages at Peru, seeing all our guys overcoming difficulties with bravery, Mena improving with every stage and learning the Dakar mode fast, seeing CS and Mena making their way through the finish, is just a privilege. Santosh getting his best ever result in which was the toughest Dakar is an achievement we are really proud of. For Oriol Mena, it was a big accomplishment to finish in the top 10. He kept going up the rankings while maintaining his position in top 10 in the last few stages gives a lot of confidence for the team’s future.”

Fischer further said, “My compliments to the team who worked really hard not allowing any technical issues. We send our best regards to JRod for a fast recovery. We missed him very much in the team and we are counting on him to come back racing soon. Finally our thanks and regards to everyone back in India, and our fans. It’s just a fantastic feeling at the moment.”

Provisional Stage 14 Classifications

1. Kevin Benavides Monster Energy Honda Honda 01hr 26m 41s

2. Toby Price Red bull KTM Racing KTM +54s

3. Antoine Meo Red Bull KTM Racing KTM +02m 49s

6. Oriol Mena Hero MotoSports Team Rally Hero MotoSports +05m 01s

10. Juan Pedrero, Sherco TVS, TVS Racing +10m 53s

32. C.S. Santosh Hero MotoSports Team Rally Hero MotoSports +18m 40s

Overall Provisional Classifications after Stage 14

1. Matthias Walkner Redbull KTM Racing KTM 43h 06m 01s

2. Kevin Benavides Monster Energy Honda Honda +16m 53s

3. Toby Price Redbull KTM Racing KTM +23m 01s

7. Oriol Mena Hero MotoSports Team Rally Hero MotoSports +02h 22m 52s

11. Juan Pedrero, Sherco TVS, TVS Racing +02h 45m 58s

34. C.S. Santosh Hero MotoSports Team Rally Hero MotoSports +11h 29m 31s