Top 20 finish for Mena, Santosh
Hero MotoSports Team Rally saw both their riders register a top 20 finish at the ninth edition of the weeklong Merzouga Rally that came to its conclusion on Friday, with the last stage kicking- off in motocross style. It was an intensely fought stage, all in dunes, which aptly brought the curtains down on the rally on a high.
Lead rider Oriol Mena brought in a 15th place finish C. S. Santosh was four spots behind him.
Said Mena, “This was the last and the shortest stage of the rally with only 48 km to cover, which they further reduced to 40 km due to some last minute changes. I started with the fastest group of riders but decided to maintain my own speed because I did not want to take unnecessary risk in the last stage.
“My focus was to get my Hero bike across the finish line and I am happy to have put the bike in Parc Ferme. One more race in the books for me and will be going home with rich experience.”
Added Santosh, “It was our first international rally after the Dakar. I am really glad to have finished the Merzouga, as I was a little worried after the crash I had at the Desert Storm. Overall I think I made fewer mistakes this year and improved a lot in my speed and navigation, this is been a good learning experience for me.
“The bike and the team have been fantastic and helped me get the bike home every day. Now I will look to build upon this experience for the next races to come.”
Earlier, at the end of Stage 4, Sherco TVS Factory Rally Team’s Martin Diego Duplessis turned in a steady performance for a P10 finish followed by Joan Pedrero at P15 despite a fall during the stage.
Vanni Cominotto finished the stage at P36 in the overall rankings and despite a good start, Lorenzo Santolino had to retire from the rally due to technical issues.
Said Pedrero, “I started at a good pace but a minor crash slowed me down for the rest of the race. This stage had many obstacles but I am satisfied with my performance.”