Mena finishes third at Merzouga Rally

Hero MotoSports team driver Oriol Mena bagged his first ever podium, finishing third in the 2019 Merzouga Rally here Saturday.

Teammate Joaquim Rodrigues was also not far behind as he finished just shy of a spot inside the top 3, at fourth position, helping the Hero MotoSports team claim their first podium of the season.

As Stage 5 brought the curtains down on the 2019 edition of the Merzouga Rally, Oriol and Rodrigues delivered solid and consistent performances to keep the team in the hunt for the podium.

The Erg Chebbi dunes played the theatre to the final battle for the standings. In a short but certainly the most spectacular stage The Grand Prix Dunes the competitors made a final stretch of 49 kms of pure dunes to claim the final spoils for their efforts over the past week.

"It was a crazy stage today, typical of any last stage of the Merzouga Rally. I started really good leading the stage for a bit and riding well with the lead group. But a few kms into the stage I had to break hard to avoid the rider in front of me and had a minor crash. Then on I lost my reach with the lead group but maintained by momentum to reach the finish line. I finished third so it's my first podium and it is a very special feeling," Mena said.

Rodrigues added: "It has been a tough week at the rally. I started at the back today but very quickly moved into the top 3 and really enjoyed riding with those guys. I finished third today so it was a good finish to the rally for me. Overall I am happy with my performance in this rally as I am beginning to get back my pace.