Hero MotoSports Leads Rallye Du Maroc 2024 With Stage 1 Win For Ross Branch

Hero MotoSports Leads Rallye Du Maroc 2024 With Stage 1 Win For Ross Branch

Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, Hero MotoCorp, has taken the lead position at the ongoing Rallye du Maroc 2024 with an impressive performance in Stage 1. Hero team pilot Ross Branch emerged as the fastest rider of the stage.

Riders Ross Branch, Sebastian Buhler and Nacho Cornejo, who were competing in the premier Rally GP Class, finished the first stage in 1st, 6th and 8th place, respectively. In the overall Rally GP Class standings, they are currently ranked 1st, 6th and 9th. Branch had the advantage of starting 11th for Stage 1 after placing second in the Prologue, which he capitalised by finishing first by a 48-second cushion over his closest rival. Cornejo started the stage today and made a determined effort to go cautiously across the incredibly challenging terrain, reaching the finish line without suffering any significant errors.

The first complete Stage of the 2024 edition included 180 km of timed sections and an additional 200 km of liaisons. The event organisers had to make last-minute changes to the race strategy yesterday when floods caused delays in the cars' arrival at the bivouac in Zagora. Participants in Stage 1 were dispatched on the Stage 2 course, although with a shorter mileage and later start times. However, this circuit around Zagora turned out to be one of the most difficult stages that Maroc has experienced recently. On rocky, uneven paths badly harmed by the rains, the day began with dangerous pathways that lay ahead, with much of the original routes swept away. In the last stretch, where visible, rolling trails guided the way to the finish line, the riders finally found some solace after risking their journey across narrow dunes.

In Stage 2, the participants will return to the original course planned for Stage 1. This second loop around Zagora will be one of the longest specialities in this year, spanning 314 km in the Sahara and an additional 158 kilometres in road sections.

Rallye du Maroc is the fifth and final round of the FIM World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) 2024. Since the second race of this season, Branch has held the top place in the standings chart, and this impressive perfoemance in the Maroc Rally has increased his chances of winning the World Championship title.

Branch said, "I’m happy to have finished Stage 1 with a good result. It was a really tough one – definitely one of the most challenging stages I’ve ever ridden at Rallye Du Maroc! The tracks were really beaten up and washed away from yesterday’s rains, but I managed to pull through. Nacho did an amazing job opening the track; I can only imagine how much more difficult it would have been for him. Opening the Stage tomorrow will be a mammoth task, but we’re pushing forward with confidence."

Buhler said, "It was a very difficult Stage – perhaps one of the hardest I’ve ever ridden here at Maroc. The terrain was full of rocks and rivers, making it challenging to manoeuvre. I tried to maintain a good pace, but it wasn’t easy – every time I went full on the gas, I seemed to be hitting something. I’m glad to have finished well, and I hope tomorrow will be a bit smoother."

Cornejo said, "Stage 1 is complete, and it was very rough, thanks to the rains from yesterday. I did my best opening the Stage, and lost a few minutes here and there. But overall, I’m happy with my focus and navigation. Tomorrow is a new day, so we’ll keep pushing and doing our best – one day at a time."

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    Hero MotoCorp Records Best-Ever Festive Season Sales With 1.6 Million Two-Wheelers

    Hero Premia

    Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, achieved its highest-ever retail sales during the recent 32-day festive period, starting from Navratri.

    The company states it sold 1.6 million two-wheelers, up 13 percent YoY, with robust demand from both urban and rural India.

    Hero MotoCorp’s growth was led by the 125cc motorcycle segment, with Xtreme 125R, as a key driver, while the 100cc segment also contributed positively to the company's strong sales performance.

    Vida, Hero MotoCorp's electric vehicle brand, also achieved a significant milestone of 11,600 unit sales during the same period. The OEM say the EV business was leveraging Hero Premia and Hero 2.0 outlets, in conjunction with a heightened emphasis on the Top 30 towns, which yielded positive results.

    In the premium space, the Harley-Davidson X440 went home to 2,800 buyers. The company expects further growth as it expands the Premia network to over 100 locations by the end of this fiscal year.

    Niranjan Gupta, CEO, Hero MotoCorp, said “For the second consecutive year we have achieved our highest-ever festive retail sales, which is a testament to Hero MotoCorp's position as the preferred brand in India. We are grateful for the unwavering trust of our millions of customers. There has been good momentum and growth in most parts of the country with rural sales catching up with the urban segment in the latter half of the festive season. We expect the momentum to continue and are optimistic about the remainder of the year.”  

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      TVS Motor Co Registers Best-Ever Monthly Sales Of 489,015 Units In October

      TVS Motor Co

      TVS Motor Company, one of the largest two- and three-wheeler manufacturer in the country, has announced it has achieved its best-ever monthly sales at 489,015 units in October 2024 with a growth of 13 percent as against 434,714 units in October 2023.

      The two-wheeler business registered growth of 14 percent with 478,159 units units sold, as against 420,610 units sold last year. Of this domestic sales grew 13 percent at 344,957 units, including 230,822 motorcycles and 193,439 scooters.

      The company also grew its electric two-wheeler sales by 45 percent at 29,308 units, as against 20,153 units a year ago.

      In terms of exports, the company shipped 95,708 units, up 9 percent YoY, as against 87,952 units last year. Two-wheeler sales grew by 16 percent at 75,653 units.

      In the three-wheeler segment the company sold 10,856 units last month, down 23 percent YoY.

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        Itaru Otani Becomes The New Chairman Of Yamaha Motor India Group

        Itaru Otani - Chairman, Yamaha Motor India Group

        India Yamaha Motor (IYM) has announced the appointment of Itaru Otani as the new Chairman of Yamaha Motor India Group. He succeeds Eishin Chihana who had assumed the position in December 2021.

        The company states that Otani brings over three decades of experience with Yamaha Motor Company, having held key leadership roles across global markets, including Australia, Brazil, and Japan.

        With expertise spanning sales, marketing, and corporate strategy, he has consistently focused on motorcycle business operations, strengthening Yamaha’s position worldwide. Prior to this role, Otani served as Chief General Manager, leading the Land Mobility Business Operations based out of Japan.               

        Itaru Otani said, “It’s a privilege to lead Yamaha in a country as vibrant and full of potential as India. The aspirations of Indian consumers are evolving rapidly, and we see incredible opportunities to bring in products that blend Yamaha’s global expertise with the unique needs and desires of Indian riders. Our focus will be on promoting exciting, stylish and sporty two-wheelers that not only align with the market’s expectations but also set new benchmarks in design, quality, and innovation. I am looking forward to further strengthen Yamaha in India under ‘The Call of the Blue’ brand campaign and drive forward our long-term vision by unlocking new avenues of growth in one of the world’s most dynamic two-wheeler markets.”

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          Royal Enfield Clocks Highest Monthly Wholesales Of 110,574 In October

          Royal Enfield

          Royal Enfield, one of the leading mid-sized motorcycle manufacturer, has announced its best-ever monthly performance.

          The company reported wholesales of 110,574 motorcycles, up 31 percent YoY, as compared to 84,437 motorcycles sold for the same period last year.

          During the period the company exported 8,688 motorcycles as compared to 3,477 motorcycles last year.

          B Govindarajan, CEO, Royal Enfield said, “The month of October has been truly remarkable for Royal Enfield, we have broken records with a whopping 100,000+ sales in a single month! This is our biggest and milestone festive season sale and surpasses all our previous sales performance records. Last month we announced our debut in Bangladesh market and the response from the riding community has been incredible. All our new and existing motorcycles have continued to perform well and we are confident that with our upcoming launches we will be able to sustain this growth momentum. As we soon unfold our next chapter of sustainable mobility, we are excited to shape the future of motorcycling while remaining committed to delivering the essence of pure riding experiences.”

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