Paulo Goncalves makes his debut for Hero MotoSports Team Rally
As the curtain rose today for the 9th edition of the Silk Way Rally 2019 in the sleepy town of Irkutsk in Russia, the bike competitors welcomed the entry of a completely new set of geographies in the ‘far east” with great enthusiasm and excitement. The Silk Way Rally 2019, touted as one of the most large-scale cross country rallies in the world and the largest in the FIM calendar of events, opened its doors to the bike category for the very first time and also became one of the key rounds of the FIM Cross Country Rally World Championship.
Hero MotoSports Team Rally will be making its debut at the Silk Way Rally 2019, led by the newest Hero, former World Cross Country Champion and the Dakar Runner-up 2015, Paulo Goncalves and the supremely skilled, “Best Rookie of the Dakar’18” and 2 time top 10 finisher of the Dakar, Oriol Mena. The team is coming to the Silk Way Rally on the back of a solid training program and strong performances, including podium finishes at the Merzouga Rally and Desert Storm Rally in their new season.
The Silk Way Rally will mark the much-awaited debut of Paulo Goncalves in the Hero MotoSports
Team Rally colours for the first time. As Paulo and Oriol rolled off the inaugural podium of the Rally today, amidst the festivities and cheer in the beautiful town of Irkutsk, they will be looking to put in a strong performance in the inaugural edition of the bike category in the Silk Way Rally.
This rally will be the longest competition for motorcyclists in the framework of the Championship, providing racing teams and ambitious racers a valuable chance to gain points on a marathon route in the battle for the Champion Cup. Fought over 5000 kms including more than 2700 km of timed sections divided over 10 varied and technical stages, the rally will offer most challenging geographic areas with terrains covering the five climate zones and crossing three countries that offer the perfect alchemy between technical difficulty, variety and beauty of landscapes. From the Taiga of Eastern Siberia to the cathedral dunes of the Gobi Desert and the endless steppes of Mongolia, Silk Way Rally 2019 is expected to be not only be the most challenging cross-country rally of the year, but also an outstanding adventure ending in the heart of the ocean of dunes of the famous Gobi desert, on 16 July in Dunhuang, China.
Mr. Wolfgang Fischer, Team Manager and Head of Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, “This is a new and exciting adventure for the rally lovers across the world and all the competitors. For us, this is an important rally as we present Paulo Goncalves to the Rally world for the first time as a part of Hero MotoSports Team Rally. While Paulo needs no introduction as he has been a World Rally Champion himself and has been at the top of his game for many years now, Mena too has been in tremendous form with a top 10 Dakar finish and a podium at the Merzouga Rally. As this is a long drawn race, and the terrains, climate and tracks are completely new to us, our aim will be to bring both the bikes and the riders across the finish line safely and we are looking forward to this challenge.”
Paulo Goncalves (Comp No: 4) said, ”I am very excited on making my debut in the Silk Way Rally with Hero MotoSports Team Rally. I am happy with the preparations we have made and how the team has bonded so well during the training sessions and feel there’s a great positive energy within the team. Quite happy to begin my new adventure with my new team in a new rally. This is going to be an exciting rally and I am ready to step up to the challenge.”
Oriol Mena (Comp No: 25) said, “This is a great rally to get added to the calendar. New terrains, new tracks and new challenges, the stuff that I live for. I have had a good season so far and good preparations with the team. All 4 of us spent some great time together during our trainings and learnt a lot from each other. For me this race, like every race is about getting more experience, learning and improving my skills. It is a great opportunity for me to be racing alongside Paulo and learning from him. My aim will be to take each day at a time and bring the bike home and I am looking forward to it.”
Source Hero Motosport's official press release
