Docherty completes a 6 in 6 stage podium haul in Rally 2 – Nacho finishes in Top 10 in Overall and Rally GP class
[Zagora, Morocco, 3rd Oct 2026] – Hero MotoSports Team Rally brought a close to their Rally du Maroc campaign with a masterful performance in the last stage of the rally today with both the riders finishing in the top 10 in the stage as well as in the overall rankings.
Bringing blistering speed and unwavering consistency, Mike Docherty led the team’s charge in the Rally 2 class right from the get-go. He brought his campaign to a spectacular finish in the ultimate stage with another second-place result, completing a flawless streak of six out of six stage podiums in the Rally 2 category. In the overall combined standings, he finished today’s stage in 9th place also to claim 9th overall after five brutal stages. With this highly commendable Top 10 finish, he firmly placed himself among the company of elite riders. Within the Rally 2 class standings, his dominant run earned him a brilliant 2nd place overall.
Competing in the premier Rally GP class, Chilean superstar Nacho Cornejo demonstrated the grit and calculated precision that defines elite factory racers. Despite facing early navigation challenges in the dust and rocky terrain of Morocco, Nacho fought back relentlessly. He consistently broke into the Top 10, including an impressive stage podium during Stage 3. In today’s final stage, Nacho crossed the line in 8th place, also securing 8th place in the overall combined rankings. Within the specialized Rally GP category, his final-stage performance placed him 7th, also securing a rock-solid 7th place overall after five stages.
#19 Mike Docherty – Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally
Furthermore, the Rally du Maroc served as the first major milestone for Hero MotoCorp’s visionary ‘India’s Next Dakar Hero’ (INDH) initiative. Recently announced by Dr. Pawan Munjal, Executive Chairman of Hero MotoCorp, INDH is a first-of-its-kind talent program designed to identify, nurture, and elevate next-generation Indian off-road racers to the global world championship stage. Shlok’s seamless integration into the factory team and his world-class pace in Morocco validate the program’s ultimate mission: preparing the next generation to proudly wave the Indian flag at the ultimate challenge, the Dakar Rally.
#11 Nacho Cornejo – Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally
With six podiums, a stage victory, and invaluable experience gained by its fresh talent pool, Hero MotoSports Team Rally concluded its Moroccan campaign with massive momentum, firmly established as a dominant powerhouse in the global rally-raid landscape.
#22 Shlok Ghorpade- Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally
Wolfgang Fischer, Manager and Head, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, “This year’s Rally du Maroc was arguably one of the more demanding tests we faced. To come away from this highly competitive field of riders with six podium finishes including a stage win in Rally 2 class, is an exceptional achievement that reflects the immense hard work of our riders, mechanics, and support crew. A special mention about Mike, who delivered a truly special performance in the Rally 2 class. His consistency combined with back-to-back podiums and a phenomenal stage win, proved that he has the grit and tactical mind to match the best in the desert. While Nacho showed, yet again, why he is considered as one of the best in the sport with his resilience, navigation skills and the ability to come back from behind every time. It was also exciting to watching young Shlok tackle his very first W2RC race. At just 18 years old, showing that level of composure and matching the pace of seasoned riders is a massive positive for us. Unfortunately he could not finish this race but he is coming back with a lot of experience and learning of what is required to become a finisher of a world-championship race like this. Shlok is the first torchbearer of our ‘India’s Next Dakar Hero’ (INDH) program, and his stellar debut completely validates Hero MotoCorp’s vision to nurture home grown Indian talent for the world stage. So now we leave Morocco with invaluable data and positive momentum as we look forward to upcoming challenges and also to our teammate Rossi, who is currently recovering from an injury, joining us back soon.”
Mike Docherty, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, “I am happy to finish the Rally du Maroc 2026. It’s been a challenging week with a lot of learning and experiences. I am grateful to the Hero MotoSport Rally Team. Its been quite a big change for me over the last couple of months so being with the team here has helped a lot. We are going to keep working and keep improving in the next rallies to get ready for the Dakar.”
Nacho Cornejo, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, “It’s been some bittersweet days for us at this tough rally so I am happy to cross the finish line. There’ve been a lot of positives as well like my confidence is back and speed has also improved. So really happy with all the steps we have made in the direction and we’ll keep working hard for the next challenges. Thanks a lot for all the hard work by the team and for all the best wishes from our supporters back in India.”
Provisional Rankings – Stage 5
- Ricky Brabec – Monster Energy Honda HRC – 01hr 52m 15s
- Luciano Benavides – Redbull KTM Factory Team – + 02m 36s
- Tosha Schareina – Monster Energy Honda HRC – + 03m 03s
- Nacho Cornejo – Hero MotoSports Team Rally – + 06m 41s
- Mike Docherty – Hero MotoSports Team Rally – + 07m 22s
Provisional Overall Rankings after Stage 5
- E. Canet – Redbull KTM Factory Team – 15hr 41m 55s
- Daniel Sanders – Redbull KTM Factory Team – + 01m 02s
- Ricky Brabec – Monster Energy Honda HRC – + 03m 32s
- Nacho Cornejo – Hero MotoSports Team Rally – + 34m 08s
- Mike Docherty – Hero MotoSports Team Rally – + 45m 54s
Provisional Rankings – Stage 5 – Rally GP
Nacho Cornejo – Hero MotoSports Team Rally – 7th Place
Provisional Overall Rankings after Stage 5 – Rally GP
Nacho Cornejo – Hero MotoSports Team Rally – 7th Place
Provisional Rankings – Stage 5 – Rally 2
Mike Docherty – Hero MotoSports Team Rally – 2nd Place
Shlok Ghorpade – Hero MotoSports Team Rally – DNF
Provisional Overall Rankings after Stage 5 – Rally 2
Mike Docherty – Hero MotoSports Team Rally – 2nd Place
Shlok Ghorpade – Hero MotoSports Team Rally – DNF
About Hero MotoCorp
Hero MotoCorp, headquartered in New Delhi, India, is the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters for 25 consecutive years with ~$5 billion revenue. The Company’s global footprint spans 53 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, Central and Latin America with a customer base of over 130 million. The Company operates eight manufacturing facilities – six in India and one each in Colombia and Bangladesh – along with two Research and Development centres: Hero Centre for Innovation and Technology (CIT) in India and Hero Tech Centre Germany (TCG). Hero MotoCorp is driving the transition to electric mobility through VIDA. Strategic alliances with Harley-Davidson and Zero Motorcycles support the design and development of premium and electric motorcycles, respectively. Further demonstrating its commitment to the EV future, the Company has made strategic investments in two- and three-wheeler EV manufacturers, Ather Energy and Euler Motors.
Hero MotoCorp is the only Indian two-wheeler manufacturer listed on the prestigious Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI). Hero MotoCorp’s Executive Chairman, Dr. Pawan Munjal, was named to the 2025 TIME100 Climate List of the 100 most influential leaders driving business climate action. Beyond mobility, Hero MotoCorp is a major global promoter of sports, including golf, football, field hockey, and cricket. Hero MotoSports Team Rally is India, a flag bearer in global rally racing.
PROLOGUE PERFORMANCE UPDATE
Hero MotoSports Team Rally made a steady start to the 2026 Desafío Ruta 40 with all three riders successfully completing the short but technical 9 km Prologue stage in San Juan.
Ross Branch led the team with an 11th place overall finish and 9th in the RallyGP category despite losing some time following small navigation difficulties in the opening kilometers of the stage. Michael Docherty impressed in his first competitive outing with the team, finishing 12th overall and securing 3rd place in Rally2 after encountering dust after catching another rider during the sprint stage. Meanwhile, Nacho Cornejo delivered a clean and controlled ride to finish 19th overall and 12th in RallyGP, with the Chilean rider feeling comfortable on the bike and confident heading into the longer stages ahead. While the Prologue is not traditionally suited to Cornejo’s riding style, the result positions him well to utilise his navigation strengths once the rally settles into the more demanding stages of the event.
Prologue was short and sweet, and sets the team up with a diverse race strategy for each rider.
Wolfgang Fischer, Team Manager, Hero MotoSports Team Rally:
“We are very pleased to officially begin our Desafío Ruta 40 campaign and it is especially exciting to welcome Michael into the Hero MotoSports Team Rally line-up for his first race with the team. Latin America remains a very important region for Hero MotoCorp, and events like this allows us to strengthen our connection with distributors, partners, and motorsport fans across Latin America while competing in one of the toughest rally environments in the world.
The Prologue result was not completely ideal as we narrowly missed having a rider inside the top ten, but we are still in a strong position heading into Stage 1. Nacho will have the opportunity to use his navigation strengths from the front, Ross remains close enough to push with the leading group, and Michael can benefit from starting slightly further back with good reference points ahead of him. Overall, we are confident and looking forward to the stages ahead.”
Ross Branch, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally:
“Overall, it was a decent start to the rally, although of course I’m a little frustrated not to be exactly where I wanted to be after the Prologue. We had a small issue early on, but the race is still very long and there’s a lot of opportunity ahead. The important thing is that we keep building day by day and work towards the result the team deserves.”
Nacho Cornejo, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally:
“I had a good feeling on the bike today and overall I’m happy with how the Prologue went. This type of short stage is not always where I am strongest, but the most important thing is feeling comfortable and confident heading into the longer stages. Now the focus is on navigation, staying consistent, and enjoying the race.”
Michael Docherty, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally:
“It’s been a really exciting start to my first race with the team and I’m happy to begin the event with a solid result in the Prologue. The team has made me feel very welcome and comfortable from the beginning, so I’m looking forward to building through the stages ahead and continuing to learn and improve every day.”
RESULTS
Provisional Overall Rankings – Prologue
1. Luciano Benevides, Redbull KTM Racing Team, 00h 04m 56.5s
2. Ricky Brabec, Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 00m 01s
3. Tosha Schareina, Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 00m 02s
11. Ross Branch, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 00m 30s
12. Michael Docherty, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 00m 30s
19. Nacho Cornejo, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 00m 49s
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