Cornejo blasts Dakar: "Do you have to come from a first-world country to be heard?"

Hero rider Jose Ignacio Cornejo has hit out at Dakar Rally organisers over certain errors in the new digital roadbook introduced in the bikes category for the first time this year.

Cornejo was one of a number of riders to lose time because of roadbook issues in the early part of 2025 Dakar in Saudi Arabia, leaving him almost 10 minutes behind overall leader Daniel Sanders of KTM.

Australian rider Sanders himself ran into trouble on Stage 3 on Tuesday and was credited 4m54s by the organisers, helping him extend his lead over his nearest pursuer and Honda rival Skyles Howes.

This prompted Cornejo to take to the internet to complain of bias and ask why he wasn’t compensated for issues with his own roadbook during Dakar.

“What is happening @dakarrally?,” he wrote on Instagram on Tuesday night. “Lots of riders have had problems with the electronic roadbook these days and to nobody you have given time back until today.

“Me personally, I had issues for two days in a row, riding in the dust of others to know where to go and following lines without knowing when the dangers were coming, getting lost for following others because my instruments were not working, and just today you guys decided to give time back to other riders affected.

“Why to some yes and to others no? We need to come from a first-world country to be heard?”

#68 Monster Energy Honda HRC Honda: Tosha Schareina

Photo by: A.S.O.

Cornejo is a veteran of 10 Dakar participations and moved to Indian manufacturer Hero in 2025 after six years with Honda.

His former team-mate Tosha Schareina, who remains at HRC this season, was set for a likely first or second position in the opening stage on Saturday until encountering problems with the roadbook. He eventually wound up fourth in the day’s order.

"There was an error in the roadbook, which we have already seen on occasions, such as in Morocco,” he told Motorsport.com Spain. “We will see if they don't give you back the time, because in the end it is very unfair of course, so that is why I also hope that they give us back the time."