Ashish Raorane, lone Indian to start 24th on his #34 KTM 450 Factory Rally replica

INDIAinF1 Desk February 27, 2023

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Ashish Rao Rane in new colours as he begins his 2023 campaign with Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Photo Instagram @ashish_raorane

Abu Dhabi, 26 Feb 2023: Ashish Raorane, the Indian Rally-Raid cross country rider will be the lone Indian on a KTM 450 Factory Rally replica with number #43 and will start 24th after doing well in the Prologue as 46 riders compete for the rally. The Indian will be in the Rally2 class (R2 category P9) in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.

“New colors for 2023! A massive thank you to all the partners for joining us on this journey! Back on the international stage after 2 years, as the 2021-22 was full of up and downs but we keep the dream alive. The dunes are where I need to improve, so no better challenge than the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. I feel nervous and excited. Bring it…”, said Rane, a day before the prologue on his social media handles.

Hero MotoSports

Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, will be competing in Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge with all their riders, Joaquim Rodriques, Ross Branch, Franco Caimi and Sebastian Buhler.

In the prologue, Buhler did well and will be starting 8th on his #14 bike, Hero 450 Rally, for Hero MotoSports Team Rally, followed by Ross Branch in his #16 bike in 9^th and J Rod in 11^th, with his favoured 27-number Hero 450 Rally. Caimi is immediately behind him in 12^th on his #33 bike.

The Hero team completed its Dakar 2023 campaign with a stellar result as three of its team riders crossed the final finish line. The Indian manufacturer scripted history once again in this edition of the rally. With a top-10 overall finish, two stage wins, and a stage podium, this is the Team’s best-ever performance at the Dakar.

Sebastian Buhler, the youngest team rider of the team, who returned to racing after almost a year of recovery from injury, delivered an excellent performance. In his 3rd Dakar with Hero MotoSports, the young German claimed his first ever Stage Podium, finishing 2nd in Stage 2. Buhler also lost a few hours in Stage 4 along with Ross due to loss of fuel. However, consistently improving his performance, he finished Dakar 2023 in the 14th overall position in the Rally GP class.

Key points:

· The 7-km long prologue at the gates of the city of Al Dhannah which took place today allowed the ten quickest drivers and riders the opportunity to choose their starting order for stage 1 tomorrow.

· In the car category, Nasser Al Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing) achieved the best time ahead of Guerlain Chicherit (GCK Motorsports) and Sébastien Loeb (Bahrain Raid Xtreme).

· In the bike race, Monster Energy Honda riders Pablo Quintanilla and Adrien Van Beveren prevailed ahead of Toby Price (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).

FIM: HONDA’S STARS FLEX THEIR MUSCLES

Pablo Quintanilla, who won the ADDC in 2018 and finished 3^rd last year, was victorious today with a time of 5’00’’, ahead of his team-mate Adrien Van Beveren (2’’ behind) and Toby Price (5’’ behind). It was a poor start for Skyler Howes (Husqvarna Factory Racing), who could only manage a 10^th placed finish. As a result, the American, 3^rd on the Dakar, was the last to be able to choose his starting position. In the Rally2 class, Toni Mulec (BAS World KTM Racing) beat Konrad Dąbrowski (Duust Diverse Racing). Paolo Lucci (BAS World KTM Racing) got off to a bad start with a 2-minute penalty after missing a way point. In the Quad race, Abdulaziz Ahli tasted victory ahead of Rodolfo Guillioli. Laisvydas Kancius (AG Dakar School) also received a 2-minute penalty for a missed way point and finds himself in last place in his category.

On completion of the stage 1 starting order choice ceremony, the day’s quickest riders gathered as far as possible from having to open the way on the special. Quintanilla will start 11^th, “VBA” 10^th and Price 9^th. Mohammed Al Balooshi, the last rider in the RallyGP class to finish, will open the special, followed by Skyler Howes and “Nacho” Cornejo (Monster Energy Honda). From the start of the special up to the finishing line, bonuses will be awarded to the first three riders, under the new regulations introduced in 2023 which aim to reward the efforts of the openers.

FIA: AL ATTIYAH TAKES THE UPPER HAND

Three times ADDC winner Nasser Al Attiyah set the tone by triumphing with a time of 4’45’’ on the prologue. Guerlain Chicherit posted the 2^nd best time, 4’’ ahead of the other Prodrive Hunter driven by Sébastien Loeb, who was in turn 10’’ behind the Qatari’s time.

Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing), thanks to a finish one second behind the Frenchman, is also in the reckoning. In the T3 category, team-mates Seth Quintero and Mitch Guthrie Jr (Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team USA) completed the prologue in that order and within the same second, in front of Cristina Guttiérez (Red Bull Can-Am Factory), herself just 1 second behind the two men! Mattias Ekström (South Racing Can-Am) and Austin Jones (Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team USA), the winner on the Dakar, did not get off to the best start, finishing in 8^th and 9^th place respectively. In the T4 race, the prologue was won by Rokas Baciuška (Red Bull Can-Am Factory), world champion in the category.

For the start tomorrow, Nasser Al Attiyah has chosen to begin in 10^th, Guerlain Chicherit 9^th, Sébastien Loeb 8^th and Yazeed Al Rajhi 7^th. Cristina Guttiérez will be faced with the task of opening the way on tomorrow’s special, in front of Mitch Guthrie and Martin Prokop (Orlen Benzina Team).