Rallye

Monster Energy Honda Team signs JosÌ© Ignacio Cornejo

Posted:

Tuesday, March 13th, 2018

3:07 AM

Monster Energy Honda Team signs JosÌ© Ignacio Cornejo

Following a stand out performance in the 2018 Dakar, HRC have signed JosÌ© Ignacio Cornejo to a three year deal. Photo: HRC.

Monster Energy Honda Team have signed JosÌ© Ignacio Cornejo, who becomes one of the official Honda Racing Corporation team riders.

Team HRC continues to show faith and nurture the talents of the young and promising riders who, one day, will turn out to be the great names in the sport.

This is true in the case of Chilean rider JosÌ© Ignacio ‰Û÷Nacho‰Ûª Cornejo, who has strengthened his bond with the Monster Energy Honda Team. The adventure began back in January when the 23 years old competed in the Dakar Rally replacing injured rider Paulo GonÌ¤alves.

The appointment of Nacho Cornejo to substitute for Paulo GonÌ¤alves, turned out to be a success and the Chilean rider proved to be extremely quick, surprising everyone with his rapid adaptation to both the bike and team.

JosÌ© Ignacio Cornejo at the 2018 Dakar where he filled in for Paulo GonÌ¤alves. Photo: HRC

Cornejo finished the Dakar Rally in tenth place, the highlights of which were a fifth place in the tenth stage and a seventh spot in stage four, where he provisionally held seventh position in the general standings. With results like these and the attitude shown by the young rider, Cornejo was an obvious choice as the new official HRC rider.

"We are very happy to have a new team member," Monster Energy Honda Team Manager Raul Castells said.

"JosÌ© Ignacio Cornejo took to the part really well, and we were pleased with him and the way that he integrated so quickly into the Monster Energy Honda Team. He‰Ûªs a lad that‰Ûªs easy to get on with and everyone in the team really likes him.

"After what he did in the Dakar, it seemed like the most natural thing to do to incorporate him into the team with the other young riders to help them grow in the sport. Let‰Ûªs hope that he adapts as quickly as possible and hopefully we will be able to achieve great successes together. We wish him all the best."

JosÌ© Ignacio Cornejo finished 10th in the 2018 Dakar as a substitute rider. Photo HRC

The agreement with the Chilean rider from Iquique, will run for three full seasons ‰ÛÒ until the end of the 2021 Dakar Rally ‰ÛÒ with his maiden race as an official rider set for the FIM World Championship Cross-Country Rallies at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.

"I‰Ûªm really happy to have signed for the Monster Energy Honda Team as one of the HRC riders," Cornejo said. "In the Dakar I had the opportunity to enter into a great team, even though I knew it was just for the one race. Now I‰Ûªm really motivated and I hope to be able to bring a lot to the team. It‰Ûªs an important step for my career ‰ÛÒ something that, for a long time, I‰Ûªve been hoping for. I‰Ûªm really pleased to be here as we start things off. I will give it my best shot." he concluded/

Nacho Cornejo‰Ûªs role of honour includes a world title: the Cross-Country Rallies Junior Championship which he won in 2016. In 2015 he finished tenth in the DesafÌ_o Ruta 40 and the Atacama Rally. He debuted in rally competitions back in 2012 at the DesafÌ_o Inka, where he posted second place overall.