Hero Motosports at ADDC 2025
Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters - Hero MotoCorp, completed a tough 2nd Stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2025.
Hero factory rider Nacho Cornejo crossed the finish line with the 2nd fastest time. Showcasing one of his best performances since joining the Hero camp, the Chilean has now jumped 2 spots up to the 5th position in the overall rankings at ADDC ‘25. The competition in the top order is quite heavy - just 3 minutes and 42 seconds separate the top 5 rankers.
Unfortunately, Ross Branch faced a technical issue 107 kms into the special, right after the refueling stop. His attempts to fix the problem did not find success as expected, and Ross was forced to withdraw from the Stage. As per the rule for Rally GP class contestants, the Botswanan is not allowed to restart the race tomorrow. Still recovering from his Dakar injuries, Ross had decided to take things slow at this second race of the W2RC 2025.
Stage 2 was set in the Liwa Province - a classic Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge territory. Dominated by sand and dunes, the stage also featured sections crossing dried-up lake beds, and stretches of dirt roads. The 300 km loop around the heritage town of Mezaira’a took the competitors all the way near to the Saudi Arabian border, and introduced them to some of the tallest dunes in the region.
Stages 3 and 4 will form a large loop, including a Marathon bivouac for all competitors. A 388 km journey from Mezaira’a will take the riders to the Al Qua’a region, south-east of the country, and along the Oman border. Branded as the darkest spot in UAE, Al Qua’a is a stargazer’s paradise, and best known as “the Milky Way spot”. The Marathon camp will be set up at the foot of star-shaped red sand dunes, and competitors will be left alone to survive under the stars, without any technical assistance from their teams.
Nacho Cornejo said, “It was a good Stage, and I'm happy with my result. We had adjusted the suspension a bit differently today, and I'm glad that it worked out well. Unfortunately, my team mate Ross had to withdraw from the race today. I hope to continue fighting till the end and keep the Hero flag flying. It's pretty tight up there in the overall tally, but we will give our best every day. Thank you everyone for all your support and love.”
