Joaquim Rodrigues stepping away from racing

Joaquim Rodrigues is walking away from racing after over three decades of racing in series ranging from motocross to rally raid. He announced his exit from motorsport in a statement posted Saturday.

“For thirty-five years, I dedicated myself, heart and soul, to motocross, supercross, enduro, and, more recently, to rallies,” began Rodrigues. “I always did it intensely and passionately. It wouldn’t have made sense any other way.

“The dedication that led me to the Motocross World Championship and then to the coveted AMA Supercross in the United States accompanied me throughout my entire career. The same dedication and enthusiasm with which I devoted myself to rally raids.

“It wasn’t easy, it never is. Leaving home, still a kid, to join an official team in the Motocross World Championship, alongside the two-time World champion, is a dream of any young rider, packing up and heading to the United States, alone, not knowing what to expect from the fiercest Supercross championship in the world. It reached a point where, more than the lack of motivation, I felt it was time to stop, to change course. The enthusiasm wasn’t the same, and I always respected the teams, the sponsors, and everyone around me.

“It was the same in rally raids. Attracted by the great marathons, I fell in love with the desert. We started in the Dakar adventures with success, defeats, joys, good days, and not-so-good days, but I never gave up on what I set out to do, because giving up is not part of me.”

Rodrigues raced at the top levels of off-road motorcycle competition, including the FIM Motocross World Championship, AMA Supercross, and World Rally-Raid Championship. After making his name on the short courses of motocross and supercross in the 2000s, he entered the rally world in 2016 as a factory rider Hero MotoSports and made his Dakar Rally début two years later.

Despite promising results like winning the 2017 Baja India and the 2019 Pan Africa Rally, Rodrigues felt his career began to decline after the death of his brother-in-law and fellow Hero rider Paulo Gonçalves at the 2020 Dakar Rally. While he still had strong outings such as finishing fourth in the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship (predecessor to the W2RC) and winning a stage in the 2022 Dakar, bad luck seemed to plague him since. This was especially the case in 2023 when he broke his femur at Dakar, sidelining him for much of the year before he tried to return for the season-ending Rallye du Maroc, only to break his scapula while testing the day before the race.

In January, his seventh Dakar Rally ended on the very first stage after hitting a rock and fracturing his thumb.

“It was the pain felt with Paulo’s accident, on that cursed day of 12 January 2020, that hurt me the most, and everything changed,” Rodrigues continued. “I suffered a lot, but also for him, I returned to the Dakar. I overcame fears, apprehensions, and with his help, we managed to win a stage in 2022.

“I know I never felt like the same rider again. Not out of fear for crashing, but such an immense loss makes us put everything else into perspective and see life differently.”

The Dakar injury forced him to miss the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Nonetheless, he supported Hero from the sidelines as Aaron Marè scored the team’s maiden W2RC victory and Ross Branch took the points lead.

Rodrigues hopes to remain involved with Hero in some capacity.

“I never gave up training, making an effort, and dedicating myself, to achieve the goals we set with the team. But over time, doubts begin to arise, if this is really where we want to be, and in recent times, those doubts began to arise,” he wrote. “Recently, I watched the Abu Dhabi race from the sidelines, and for the first time in my career, I felt good being there, without the desire to engage first gear and take off when I saw my colleagues heading for the track. I felt like I was in the right place.

“We returned home, and I spoke openly with the team, who immediately understood and accepted my desire to leave competition. I felt it was time to leave, and I should do it as honestly as I always managed my career. It wasn’t right to be there deceiving Hero, the sponsors, those who have always supported me, pretending to be present when my mind told me it was time to stop. So, I decided to leave on my own terms.

“Therefore, I have made the decision not to compete professionally anymore.

“I hope everyone understands my decision. We all must know when to stop and respect those who want to stop. A pause that is not a goodbye. Fortunately, Hero has shown once again that it is more than a team, a true family, and has invited me to maintain a connection to the team, which I hope to be able to help and contribute to its success.”