Dakar 2020: Hero MotoSports Team Rally cautious on Dakar Rally opening stage

Hero MotoSports Team Rally makes a measured start to the Dakar 2020 Paulo Goncalves finishes in the Top 15, Buhler and CS in the Top 40 

The opening stage of Dakar 2020 brought mixed fortune for Hero MotoSports Team Rally. All the riders rode with caution to avoid making unnecessary errors in the very first stage of what is going to be a long rally. Paulo Goncalves rode in his trademark style - cautious to begin with and then raking up some good pace in the second half to finish the stage in 12th place. The young Sebastian Buhler also arrived safely at the finish line in 32nd place, losing a little time in making a small additional run to catch a waypoint. CS Santosh also had his first taste of the Saudi sands with a minor crash but overall did a good stage to climb up some ranks from his starting position to finish in 39th place.  
  
But not all went as per plan for the team as Joaquim Rodrigues suffered an unfortunate technical problem in his bike that forced him to forfeit the stage. He will try for a restart tomorrow, pending permissions from the competitors department and recovery of the bike under the newly introduced “Wild Card” rule. As per the rule, he will now be considered out of contention for an overall result, but remains in the competition for the stage results.  
The stage took the rally from Jeddah to Al Wajh for a total run of 752 kms which included the special stage of 319 kms and provided a glimpse of everything that makes up this rally in quick succession – navigation, fast and winding off-piste, dunes, trials and stones. It was a stage truly worthy of being an opening stage of the Dakar 2020. 
 
Stage 2 tomorrow will be undertaken from Al Wajh to Neom, continuing along the Red Sea, for a special section of 367 kms to be done on the clock
 
Paulo Goncalves (Comp No. 8) said, “It was a really interesting start of Dakar 2020. A big stage of 320 kms and a mix of everything from stony tracks to trials to sand dunes. The navigation also was very complicated so I decided to ride with caution in the beginning to avoid navigation mistakes and crashes. I am happy with my start here as my feeling is good.” 
 
Joaquim Rodrigues (Comp No. 27) said, “I started the stage really well and got into a good rhythm. Later on in the stage, my bike started having a problem and I had to stop. I tried to figure out what was wrong and tried to fix it but I couldn’t get it to start again. It’s very unfortunate, but the rally is so unpredictable and these things happen. Now, I will try to restart tomorrow under the new rules but my race for overall results is over. Now, I am going to focus on finishing each stage and helping my teams as much I can.” 
 
CS Santosh (Comp No. 50) said, “I was really excited to see what the Saudi terrains have to offer today. It was a really fast stage and had some technical sections as well with stones. I think I put together a good starting stage until after a tricky stony section where I had a crash and hurt my hand a bit. Overall, I am happy with my start. Glad to see the back of Stage 1 at the Dakar 2020.”

Sebastian Buhler (Comp No. 32) said, “It was a good stage for me. I felt comfortable with the new bike and felt good about my riding. It was a fast stage with many stony sections but it’s only the first day of a really long rally so I think I will continue to go like this.” 
 
Provisional Stage 1 Rankings     
1. Toby Price     RedBull KTM Racing  03h 19m 33s 
2. Ricky Brabec Monster Energy Honda Team   +02m 05s 
3. Matthias Walkner RedBull KTM Racing  +02m 40s 
12. Paulo Goncalves Hero MotoSports Team Rally  +10m 17s 
32. Sebastian Buhler Hero MotoSports Team Rally  +35m 13s 
39. C S Santosh  Hero MotoSports Team Rally  +43m 57s 
DNF  Joaquim Rodrigues 
 

Source Hero MotoSports Team Rally