Cordoba (Argentina), June 7 (IANS): Ross Branch, Sebastian Buhler and Nacho Cornejo finished the fourth and penultimate stage in the 4th, 7th and 9th positions respectively as the Hero MotoSports Team Rally maintained good positions in the 2024 edition of Desafio Ruta 40 in Argentina.
Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters - Hero MotoCorp, maintained a steady pace in the 4th and penultimate Stage of the rally raid being held in Argentina.
Clocking over 650 km in the saddle, the competitors found the second loop around La Rioja demanding, and very exhausting. The day started in the only dune section in this edition of the DR40.
Several changing terrains under the morning sun made it difficult for the competitors to throttle ahead confidently – chotts, uphill and downhill dunes, sandy river crossings, and more dunes. Navigation was also particularly difficult on this very technical WRC-style track. In all, the competitors had to cover 264 km of road sections and 391 km against the clock, on this long day.
As the Rally neared its conclusion, the pace had become extremely high in the top order. There was no room for mistake or slowing down, as the competition became neck to neck at this 4th round of the W2RC 2024. Ross Branch -– the current leader of the World Championship -- has shown consistent performance right from the start of the race till the end.
With just one Stage left in the race, the competitors will now focus on going all in on a final dash to improve their positions. If there are no major shake-ups in the standings on the last day, Ross is expected to walk away from the race maintaining his World Championship lead position.
Stage 5, the finale, will resume at the southeast course back towards Córdoba, the host city of this edition of the DR40. It will be yet another long stage with 218 kms of competitive racing and over 300 kms on the road -- leaving the ground for last-minute surprises in the final tally. All eyes will be on the final podium and the championship rankings, as competitors embark on the last day of this phenomenal rally.
“It was a really long day on the bike, but I enjoyed it! It had a bit of everything - rocks, sand, and much more. I lost a bit of time, not too sure where, but we've got one more day to try. Looking forward to the last Stage!” said Ross Branch.
“In the morning today, the sun was ahead and the track was quite broken, so I didn't risk it much. However, the pace of the race is such, that if you don't push hard you'll miss out on time - and that's what happened with me today. I tried to hammer down after refueling, but it wasn't enough. I look forward to the last day tomorrow,” said Sebastian Buhler.