Al Ula, Saudi Arabia
Brushing off the set back from Stage 3, Hero MotoSports Team Rally started stage 4 with a positive intent today.
Covering a total distance of 672 kms including the special stage of 453 kms from Neom towards the next bivouac of Al Ula, the team riders rode with spirit through the mix of sandy stretches, canyons, wadi crossings and gravel sections.
Having spent the entire day in the desert and arriving late in the night, Paulo was undeterred in his eagerness to take the stage early on, instead of riding at the back of the pack. Being a top 12 rider in the previous stage, he exercised his right to choose his starting position and opted to start the stage at the 26th position. If there was any doubt about him carrying the baggage of the previous stage, it was quickly dispelled by the sheer intent and class he put on the display today to finish the stage in the Top 5 at the 4th position. With his fantastic performance today, he clawed back several places from his overnight position of 110th to jump to 77th place in the overall rankings.
Paulo’s grit and determination rubbed off on the other teammates too, as all of them delivered inspired performances today to post gains for the team. Sebastian Buhler continued to impress with his composure and consistency as he tackled another fast and tricky stage with a 21st place finish. With this, he continues his upward climb in the overall rankings for the fourth straight day to break into the Top 20 at 20th place at the end of 4 stages.
C S Santosh too had a better day in the office today and rode with a good rhythm as he brought the stage home in 44th place. He also climbed a few notches in the overall rankings to climb up to 42nd place. While all his teammates are fighting for an overall position, Joaquim Rodrigues seems to be on a race to better his own performance with every stage. He put on a strong show and bettered his last stage ranking of 31, with a 23rd place finish today.
In the stage 5, the rally will move to the city of Ha’il covering a total distance of 564 kms that include the special section of 353 kms.
Later CS Santosh said, “It was a really long and cold day. For me the stage was pretty good overall. In the beginning, there was a lot of dust so I waited to push ahead. The stage was quite difficult but I had a lot of fun today, made considerable time except for a small mistake I made before the refuelling point where I lost my way a bit. Overall my hand is feeling better and stronger, and I am looking forward to the next couple of days at the Dakar.”
Paulo Goncalves commented, “Today was definitely better than yesterday. I started the stage well but for first 100km there was a lot of dust so I didn’t push much to avoid any risks. After the refuelling point the stage opened up wide and then I took my chance to push harder. In the end, I had a small crash that kind of woke me up. It was a long stage with a lot of navigation so I am happy to bring back a good stage result for the team and myself. It’s good for motivation after yesterday and also for my team who had put in a lot of work to get the bike ready for today. My plan is to take the rally stage by stage and try to give my best possible every day. ”
Sebastian Buhler opined, “It was a very tough and long stage with fast tracks and lot of stones. Towards the finish, the navigation was very difficult so I rode slowly to avoid any mistakes and catch all the waypoints. Overall, I think I did quite well to finish the stage today. ”