Hero

The ‘Hero’ of the 2022 Dakar

Joaquim Rodrigues has had to deal with some tragic events in recent years, but riding a bike has gradually helped the 40-year-old regain strength and confidence. During the 2020 Dakar, the Portuguese rider lost his brother-in-law Paulo Gonçalves, who died following a crash on stage 7. The event had a huge impact on the entire rally-raid family and left Joaquim battling with depression. However, he took the tough decision to return to the 2021 Dakar to honour the memory of the man who married his sister Sofia. The Hero Motosports rider takes Paulo’s memory with him wherever he goes and the whole team has the number 8 on their machines in his honour. Joaquim had a busy 2021 season helping the team to finalise the development of a new bike. He started with a promising fourth place on the Andalucía Rally and ended the year with a podium at the world championship final at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Last January, ‘J-Rod’ distinguished himself by winning the first special stage of his career on the Dakar. In doing so he gave Hero their first win on the race, which naturally the entire team dedicated to Paulo Gonçalves. But by twice finishing outside the top 30, the Portuguese rider couldn't do better than 14th place at the final finish. Sixth on the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the Portuguese rider is 8th in the provisional overall standings at the halfway point in the championship. Since the second round of the W2RC, he can count on the support of Ross Branch, who moved to Hero from Yamaha. His performance, combined with that of the Botswana native, has enabled Hero Motosports to occupy 4th place in the provisional constructors’ championship.