Spanish rider Joan Barreda Bort joins Hero MotoSports Team Rally for Dakar 2024

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Spanish rider Joan Barreda Bort will be joining Hero MotoSports Team Rally for the 2024 Dakar Rally, the Indian team has announced. With Joan joining the Hero squad, the team completes its Dakar line-up for 2024. One of the top riders in rally-raid, Barreda holds a strong reputation and has been labelled as a ‘Dakar legend.’ The rider has won 12 international races and finished the Dakar Rally seven times in his illustrious career.

By: Sameer Fayaz Contractor
| Updated on: 04 Nov 2023, 18:37 PM

Joan Barreda Bort Hero MotoSports Team Rally
Joan Barreda Bort joins Hero MotoSports Team Rally for the 2024 Dakar Rally

Barreda is also a five-time winner of the Spanish Baja, while also having taken victories in Merzouga, Andalucia, China Grand, Qatar Cross-Country rallies, and Rallye Des Pharaons over the years. The 40-year-old has had 13 consecutive Dakar Rally appearances with 30 Stage wins, earning the title of winning the maximum number of stages at the Dakar amongst active competitors in the Bikes category.

Joan Barreda Bort Hero MotoSports Team Rally
Joan Barreda Bort’s best Dakar finish was fifth, which he achieved in 2017 and 2022

Barreda’s best Dakar finish was an impressive fifth, which he achieved twice, in 2017 and 2022 respectively. He also won five stages out of the 13 in the 2014 Dakar Rally. For Barreda, coming to Hero will also reunite him with team manager Wolfgang Fischer for the second time. The rider worked with Fischer as well as the late Paulo Goncalves, with all three part of the same team in 2012.

Barreda’s arrival at Hero also comes at a time when the team has inked a partnership with Monster Energy for the upcoming season. Barreda will join existing riders Joaquim Rodrigues, Ross Branch and Sebastian Buhler at Hero. Rider Franco Caimi, who was part of the squad in the last Dakar, parted ways with Hero MotoSports earlier this year.

Hero MotoSports has had a positive run at Dakar in recent years. The seven-year-old team finished the 2023 season with an overall fourth place while bagging two stage wins in the process. The team is now ambitious to exceed its own limits in the 2024 season.

Joan Barreda Bort will compete directly under Hero MotoSports at the 2024 Dakar Rally in January, which will also be the inaugural race of the 2024 season of the FIM World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC). Barreda will make his first public appearance with Hero at the upcoming EICMA Motorcycle Show in Milan on November 7.

First Published Date: 04 Nov 2023, 18:37 PM IST

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Jehan Daruvala becomes second Indian driver to compete in Formula E, joins Maserati

by with No Comment Electric vehicles cars

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Mumbai-based racer Jehan Daruvala has been signed by Maserati MSG Racing to compete in Season 10 of the FIA Formula E World Championship. Daruvala is the second Indian driver after Karun Chandhok to participate in Formula E and only the third Indian (after Narain Karthikeyan and Chandhok) to race in a world car championship. Jehan will join Maximilian Gunther at Maserati, which makes the duo one of the youngest driver pairings on the grid at 24 and 26 years respectively.

By: Sameer Fayaz Contractor
| Updated on: 27 Sep 2023, 19:43 PM

Jehan Daruvala Maserati Formula E
Jehan Daruvala becomes the second Indian driver to compete in Formula E after Karun Chandhok

Jehan climbed the ropes of racing with Formula 3 in 2019, progressing to Formula 2 in 2020. The driver went on to secure four race wins and 18 podiums in F2 between 2020 and 2022. He also went on to drive the 2021 McLaren F1 challenger last year with test opportunities. Daruvala progressed to Formula E at the end of 2022 as a reserve driver for Mahindra Racing in Season 9. The driver made two rookie test appearances earlier this year with the Indian team and now comes on board as a full-time driver for Maserati MSG Racing.

Jehan Daruvala said, “Formula E is a championship that I have admired for a long time, and after taking part in two test sessions, I’m very happy to have the opportunity to step up to a full-time race seat. From my experiences so far, the GEN3 car is completely unique to drive, but I’ve found it to be a very rewarding experience. I would like to thank James and Maserati MSG Racing for giving me this chance and I can’t wait to learn more about the car and get to know the team better in pre-season testing, before hitting the ground running in Mexico City in January.”

James Rossiter, Team Principal, Maserati MSG Racing, said, “We’re excited about our driver lineup for Season 10, and we’re confident that the blend of Max’s experience with Jehan’s determination will prove to be a competitive combination. Max impressed us throughout the 2022/23 season, and continuing our relationship was a natural decision. He has brilliant speed, a strong understanding of Formula E’s GEN3 package, and with five seasons of experience – despite being aged only 26 – has an impressive amount of knowledge. That experience will be invaluable for Jehan, who has already shown good promise in his two rookie test outings with Mahindra earlier this year. Over the past four years, he has shown hunger and determination in Formula 2 and has clearly demonstrated that he has what it takes to win races. Now, Jehan is ready to do the work it takes to succeed in Formula E.”

Maximilian Günther, Driver – Maserati MSG Racing, said, “I’m very proud to continue with Maserati MSG Racing. We had a great first season together, particularly with the momentum we built in the second half of the year with one win, four podiums and two poles. Continuing to build on this base is something that I‘m very much looking forward to in 2024, alongside working with Jehan as my new teammate. After seeing our performance trajectory unfold this year, I‘m confident we can go on to achieve bigger and better things in the future.”

Giovanni Tommaso Sgro, Head of Maserati Corse, said, “We’re delighted to welcome Jehan to the Maserati family. Together with Max, they will form a talented young pairing, and we are excited ahead of the new season. Every year, Formula E fields experienced drivers, alongside some of motorsport’s most promising young talents, confirming itself as the series of the future. We’re confident that Jehan’s arrival will give an extra boost to the whole team. He will also be making a major contribution thanks to his previous experience as a test driver.”

The 2024 Formula E Season 10 is set to kick off in January next year with the Mexico City e-Prix. The electric racing championship will be the longest next season with Tokyo added to the calendar. However, it’s still not clear if the championship will return to Hyderabad for the second time next year. That said, Formula E is yet to announce the venue for Round 4 and 5 to be held on February 10 and 24, respectively.

While Daruvala will begin his stint in Formula E, Max has been on the grid for longer. Gunther joined Dragon Racing as a test and reserve driver in Season 5 and was promoted to a full-time role in 2018. He moved to BMW i Andretti Motorsport in 2019 and later to Nissan e.dams in 2022. The driver joined Maserati in 2023 and went on to secure two pole positions, four podiums and Maserati’s first victory in world championship single-seater races since 1957. Jehan and Max will begin preparations for the 2023/24 campaign with pre-season testing at Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo between October 23-27, 2023.

In related news, Mahindra Racing signed Nyck de Vries and Edoardo Mortara as their new driver line-up on multi-year contracts.

First Published Date: 27 Sep 2023, 19:43 PM IST



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