Hero MotoSports Team Rally announces Oriol Mena as new rider
Hero MotoSports Team Rally is now in their second year. And now that they've already competed in the 2017 editions of the Dakar, the India BAJA, the Desert Storm and the Merzouga Rally, they've decided to take things one step further. The team has announced that they are planning to "expand their performance horizon" and this begins with identifying new riders in order to turn them into professionals.
Oriol Mena is the newest rider to join the Hero MotoSport Team Rally squad
The first rider that the team has scouted out under this initiative is Oriol Mena Valdearcos. Oriol has in the past competed in the World Enduro Championship for 13 long years, and has spent 14 years in the Spanish Enduro Championship. He has been crowned Enduro Junior World Champion in 2009, and has won the International Six Days Enduro as a member of the Spanish Trophy team.
In the world of cross country rallying, Oriol has competed in the Sardegna Rally in Italy, where he finished second overall. At his debut event, the Merzouga Rally in Morocco in May 2017, Mena finished 12th overall with a victory in Stage 5. The Spaniard has already begun participating in the training sessions with the team, gearing up for the 2018 edition of the Dakar.
"I am really excited to be a part of Hero MotoSports Team Rally. The way this team performed in the first year and at the Dakar was really impressive and in a way I see a lot of synergy between what I want to do and the team's vision. I am looking forward to training with this team and racing along JRod and C S Santosh," said Mena.
Meanwhile, Wolfgang Fischer, team manager, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, "After the first year with Hero MotoSports, we are happy to have the chance to work with another promising rider, Oriol Mena, who we know since many years in the off-road sport. We think he fits very well into our structure and objectives, and would be a good addition alongside team-mates JRod and CS. His inclusion will reinforce our efforts to build up Hero MotoSports with super-motivated, professional newcomers in the Rally scene."
Dr. Markus Braunsperger, chief technology officer, Hero MotoCorp Ltd said, "We extend a warm welcome to Oriol Mena into Hero MotoSports Team Rally. He is a natural talent and offers great promise if trained well. We are very excited at the team's prospects in upcoming rallies with another strong rider added to the mix. This initiative is a testimony of the long term vision we have drawn for the Hero MotoSports Team Rally and our continuous endeavour to keep improving our performance on all fronts. Our best wishes to Oriol for a successful career in Rally racing with Hero MotoSports."
