The 2024 Dakar Rally is scheduled to be held from January 5 to 19, starting at AlUla and finishing on the shores of the Red Sea at Yanbu. The 2024 edition of the Dakar Rally is the fifth chapter in Saudi Arabia and will see riders race 5,000km of special stages with 60 percent of the sections being all-new.
Ahead of the race, factory teams are slowly introducing their riders, and one among the first to do so is Hero MotoSports, with its four-rider team. The team consists of Joaquim Rodrigues, who has been with the team since its inception in 2016, Ross Branch, AKA the ‘Kalahari Ferrari’, Sebastian Buhler, and the newest member, ‘Bang Bang’, Joan Barreda Bort.
With a formidable team, Hero MotoSports is looking at finishing at the top of the class, if not aiming for the win and breaking KTM’s winning streak like how Honda managed in 2020 and 2021 with Ricky Brabec and Kevin Benavides respectively, the latter winning on a KTM factory machine again, in 2023. Here’s a closer look at the Hero MotoSports team for Dakar 2024.
Joaquim Rodrigues
The Portuguese rider has been with Hero MotoSports since its inception in 2016, alongside CS Santosh, who has parted ways with Hero. Joaquim Rodrigues’ best was in 2021 when he finished 11th overall while giving Hero its first stage win in 2022 in stage 3. The 2023 Dakar Rally had some surprises for ‘J-Rod’ as stage 4 saw him crash, breaking a leg. For 2024, the recovery has been long, but J-Rod is looking forward to the 2024 edition of the Dakar Rally.
Ross Branch
Better known as ‘Kalahari Ferrari’, the rider from Botswana is looking forward to his second Dakar outing with Hero MotoSports, after finishing the 2023 rally in the 26th place overall. The most cheerful and enthusiastic person in the bivouac recorded his best in 2019 when he finished 13th overall as a privateer. For 2024, Branch has one goal and that is to win the Dakar Rally.
Sebastian Buhler
Sebastian Buhler is the second oldest team member currently and his best is in 2021 when he finished in the 14th place. This year, Buhler finished the 2023 Rallye Du Maroc in 9th place with his consistent performance, which is the last round of the 2023 FIM World Rally-Raid Championship.
Joan Barreda Bort
The ex-Honda factory rider’s first outing with Hero will be the 2024 Dakar Rally, and alongside Bort, Hero has also partnered with energy drink giant, Monster Energy. Bort, also known as ‘Bang Bang’ has the most stage victories amongst current riders and his best was 5th in 2017 and 2022. The Spaniard is looking forward to the 2024 season of the Dakar Rally to showcase what he can do on a Hero.