Hero Motosports Team Rally enjoy mixed results in Stage 6 at Dakar Rally 2025

Hero Motosports Team Rally had mixed results in Stage 6 of the ongoing Dakar Rally 2025. While Ross Branch crashed out, Nacho Cornejo picked up another podium finish.

Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, has completed the sixth stage at the Dakar Rally 2025. Continuing his impressive form at this year’s edition of the world’s toughest rally, the young Chilean Hero rider Nacho Cornejo crossed the finish line today with the 3rd fastest time, missing the stage win by just 51 seconds. Thanks to his today’s performance, Nacho has now climbed up to the 8th spot in the overall rankings.

Sadly, for Ross Branch, the Dakar 2025 journey came to an end today as the Botswanan hero met with an unfortunate crash at 48 km into today’s stage. After an immediate medical check-up, he was airlifted to the Ha’il hospital where his CT scan came out clear and revealed no major injuries. Ross has been discharged from the hospital and has joined the team tonight. Branch had been delivering a stellar performance right since the start of the rally, holding 4th place overall until his untimely exit. The 2024 World Rally-Raid Champion and last year’s Dakar Rally runner-up will now shift his focus to recovery and is determined to come back stronger for the next race of the World Championship.

Competing in his tenth Dakar and his third race with Hero MotoSports, Cornejo will now be leading the charge for the team, carrying the mantle forward in the rally. He is looking in incredible form, finished the 3rd consecutive stage in top-3 and has his sights set on getting a respectable Dakar finish for the team this year.

Saturday’s Stage 6 of the rally presented a unique challenge, spanning 605 km and divided into two segments. A 171 km untimed road section, classified as a ‘transfer’, separated the two parts, resulting in 434 km of timed competition. Following the transfer, the competitors encountered a faster-paced section, which gradually increased the difficulty as they navigated treacherous sandy terrain, including hills, dunes, and sandy tracks. The second part of today’s special proved particularly technical, as competitors tackled a demanding sector within the dunes.

Going forward, with Sunday’s Stage 7 with 455 km of timed specials, the rally becomes more challenging with a good mix of fast and slow terrains, difficult navigation and a touch of mountain racing as well. Due to multiple deployments for race safety in Stage 6, the helicopters will remain on the course this evening.

As a result, Sunday’s stage will start slightly later to allow enough time for the helicopters to reach their respective positions. Competitors will take a 188 km road section to the new starting location, with the first FIM riders expected to arrive at 8 am. The distance for tomorrow’s timed special has been shortened slightly to 411 km.

“We’ve completed Stage 6 – the first of the second week. I finished third in the stage and didn’t lose much time so I am overall happy with the job done. I’m sad that my teammate Ross had a crash and is out of the race. I wish him a quick recovery and hope he’s back on the bike soon. We will do our best to represent Basti and Ross in the rally and I want to have a good result for both of them. We will keep giving our best day by day!” Nacho Cornejo said.

Meanwhile, his teammate Ross Branch said, “That’s the end of the rally for me, and I’m really disappointed to say that. We worked tirelessly all year, putting in countless hours of training and effort into the bike. The team did everything they could, and I’m grateful for that. Unfortunately, this is a part of the sport, and today it happened to me. I’m thankful to be in one piece and will focus on recovering and getting fit for the next race. I want to thank each and every one of you for your incredible support. Your messages and encouragement mean the world to me. Sorry to let you down, but I’ll be back stronger and more determined than ever. Next stop: Abu Dhabi! I’ll push harder than ever to get us some points back in the world championship.”

Provisional Rankings – Stage 6

Provisional Rankings – Stage 06 – Overall Classification