Hero RR 450 showcased for the first time in India
Hero Motorsports has unveiled the new ‘Hero RR 450’ rally bike for the first time in the country. The motorcycle is the updated version of the previous bike that was used in the Dakar 2017 rally. It gets new design and styling for the fuel tank, reworked body parts and front section to improve mass centralization, handling and riding ergonomics. The bike was used to participate in the OiLibia rally in Morocco early this year. Hero has made essential changes considering their previous year’s rider experiences to enhance more confidence to the rider.
Hero Motorsports has also publicized their Dakar rally 2018 team. They will enter the rally with three rider this year. CS Santosh from India and Joaquim Rodrigues from Portugal will be joined by Oriol Mena from Spain in the Dakar 2018 rally. Oriol Mena joined the rally team in September this year and is a part of the Hero Motorsports vision to recognize new riders and train them to become professional riders.
Commenting on the occasion, Dr. Markus Braunsperger, Chief Technology Officer, Hero MotoCorp and Head of Hero MotoSports said, “We are excited and prepared for Dakar 2018. The team is stronger, both in terms of men and machine. We are focused on improving our last year’s performance at the Dakar next month and believe that we have the right tools to do it. Next year will be important for us, as we aim to win more rallies and grow the sport in India”
CS Santosh, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, “I am satisfied with this year’s preparations, where I had the opportunity to work with industry professionals and experts, which brought in a better structure to the preparations. I am very happy with the new bike that we raced with at the OiLibiya Rally in October. The new bike is light, agile and makes going fast safe! This Dakar I will aim to make each and every day count! Ultimately it’s about enjoying the process and arriving at the finish line.”
Hero MotoSports Rally team has the honour of being the only manufacturer team with 100% arrivals at the 2017 edition of the Dakar Rally. The motorsports team also secured its first victory at BAJA India and a podium finish at the Desert Storm rally. The team also finished with a respectable 12th position in the Dakar 2017.
Dakar is the biggest rally-raid in the world and the 2018 rally is its 40th edition. The rally will commence in Peru on January 6, 2018, cross Bolivia and conclude in Argentina on January 20, 2018. It is expected that the 2018 edition of the rally will witness 500 competitors from 60 countries. The total length of rally is of almost 9,000 km. The rally will consist a total of 14 stages out of which seven will include 100% dunes, 1 marathon stage for all categories and 1 marathon stage for bikes and quads only.
Watch out to this space for more info on the team and Dakar 2018 rally.
