Joaquim Rodrigues: “I said to myself ‘Paulo is riding with me here’”

Dakar 2022 | Stage 3 | AL DUWADIMI > AL SALAMIYA
January 4 th 2022 - 14:20 [GMT + 3]

Joachim Rodrigues won the first stage of his career on the Dakar as well as the first success for the Hero brand since its debut in 2017.

Joaquim Rodrigues _ Stage 3_ENG
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“It was a really, really good stage today. I was able to put in a good rhythm from the beginning. Luckily, I didn’t make any mistakes and I got everything on point. I was just trying to push and the bike is performing really well, also. It definitely helped me to get this victory. Hero has made a big effort over the year of 2021 to put all the riders in a lot of races and to develop the bike also, giving the riders some desert and race time. It’s definitely helped and it’s paying off. They put the effort in and we are delivering the results. I’m really happy with the result and my first victory. When I finished, I saw I had the best time, but I finished sixth, I was the sixth rider to arrive, so I knew there were still some top guys behind me, so I didn’t know I had won until I arrived here. But anyway, I’m really, really happy with my first win on the Dakar, I made history. So, yeah, I’m really happy. Actually, today I was riding and I was feeling so good, riding so fast that I even said to myself ‘Paulo is riding with me here’. That thought came to me because all the navigation was on point, so I thought to myself ‘he is with my riding today’ and in the end we won, so I think me and him, we won”.  

#27 Rodrigues Joaquim (prt), Hero Motorsports Team Rally, Hero 450 Rally, Moto, W2RC, Motul, action during the Stage 3 of the Dakar Rally 2022 between Al Qaysumah and Al Qaysumah, on January 4th 2022 in Al Qaysumah, Saudi Arabia
#27 Rodrigues Joaquim (prt), Hero Motorsports Team Rally, Hero 450 Rally, Moto, W2RC, Motul, action during the Stage 3 of the Dakar Rally 2022 between Al Qaysumah and Al Qaysumah, on January 4th 2022 in Al Qaysumah, Saudi Arabia © A.S.O./F.Gooden/DPPI

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