The only Indian team in the Silk Way Rally, Hero MotoSports, continued their strong showing late on Monday with two riders Sebastian Buhler and Franco Caimi finishing inside top-5 after completion of Stage 4 in Gorno-Altaysk, Russia.
The riders enjoyed the stage on Monday, needing to focus less on navigation as they had ridden the same stage on the previous day. Buhler finished the stage in fourth place. Caimi got stuck in a river a couple of times but was able to complete the stage without any further complications. He finished the stage in fifth position, but the lost time meant he lost a position in the overall rankings and dropped to third overall.
Another Hero rider Joaquim Rodrigues, whose engine had flooded on Sunday, also had a much better stage, finishing in eighth place.
The marathon stage was a repeat of the previous day, with an added 31kms, bringing the length to 164kms. It consisted of the same rocky climb, fast stretches and water crossings with the added challenge of deteriorated terrain. The marathon stage was wrapped up with a mammoth 470kms liaison back to Gorno-Altaysk, reuniting the riders with their assistance crews.
Buhler expressed satisfaction, saying: "Today's stage had less navigation since we had already done the stage once yesterday. In spite of a few stones and dangers, it was a fun stage to ride. We have completed the marathon stage, and we only have one more day to go, so I am excited for tomorrow."
Caimi said: "I am happy to be back in the bivouac after the marathon stage. I had a tough day today, getting stuck in a river twice and losing a lot of time. Other than that, I enjoyed the stage, even though the routes were destroyed after having the trucks run here yesterday. Tomorrow is the last day of the rally, and I'm looking forward to a good stage."
Rodrigues, on his part, said: "Today was much better than yesterday. I was a little worried about the engine after it had flooded yesterday, but the bike held up really well and allowed me to complete the stage without any problems. We have just one day to go, and as always we will give our best."
Overall Standings (after Stage 4)
1. Matthias Walkner (Red Bull KTM) 05h 13m 57s
2. Skyler Howes (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) + 04m 47s
3. Franco Caimi (Hero MotoSports) + 05m 36s
4. Daniel Sanders (GasGas Factory) + 08m 35s
5. Sebastian Buhler (Hero MotoSports) + 08m 45s
