The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge happens to be the last rally before Dakar 2022
Hero Motorsports claimed a podium at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, as its Joaquim Rodrigues stood third in the overall rankings, at the close of the event. The Desert Challenge was the last rally for the team before the Dakar 2022, and the final stage of it proved to be quite challenging for the team.
Joaquim encountered a failure of his navigation equipment and still managed to deliver a fifth-spot finish. In the overall rankings, however, he rose to the third spot, claiming the podium. Abu Dhabi thus gave Rodrigues his first podium in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship. Teammates Franco Caimi and Sebastian Buhler finished in the 8th and 12th spots respectively.
The Desert Challenge covered a total distance of 1350 kilometers in 5 days, with over 216 kilometers munched in the last stage alone. The next race for Hero would be the Dakar 2022, scheduled to happen in Saudi Arabia from Jan 2-14, 2022. The team will now start preparing for this much-coveted rally.
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge : Overall Standings
| Position | Rider | Team |
| 1 | Matthias Walkner | RedBull KTM Factory Racing |
| 2 | Adrien van Beveren | Monster Energy Yamaha |
| 3 | Joaquim Rodrigues | Hero MotoSports Team Rally |
| 4 | Aaron Mare | |
| 5 | Konrad Dabrowski | Duust Rally Team |
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