Honda HRC – Brabec stays in the hunt after gruelling Moroccan stage
| After his victory yesterday, Ricky Brabec faced the unenviable task of opening the road on what was described as “one of the toughest stages in the history of the Rallye du Maroc”. With brutal terrain lying ahead, simply getting both rider and machine safely to the finish would be a challenge in itself.
Leaving the Zagora bivouac at sunrise, Brabec was the first to tackle the 59 km road section before the start of an intense 300 km special stage. After the high pace of yesterday’s racing, the riders faced a very different challenge, with a mix of imposing dunes, riverbeds, stony terrain and several trial-style sections making for an extremely physical day on the bike. At the first time check, Brabec was holding onto the lead – but only just. Thanks to the time bonuses awarded for opening the stage, the American held an advantage of a single second. By the 90 km mark, Daniel Sanders had caught Brabec and the pair began sharing the task of opening the road. The two-time Monster Energy Honda HRC Dakar Rally winner put in a stellar effort to maximise the bonuses on offer and limit his losses. After factoring in 1’56” of bonus time, Brabec completed the stage 3’04” behind stage winner Sanders. Although the result cost Brabec the overall rally lead, the battle remains finely poised, with just 2’54” separating the pair heading into the next stage. At the halfway point of the rally, Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren had been hoping for a consistent day aboard his Honda CRF450 RALLY. However, after misinterpreting a road book note, he lost his way around a third of the way into the stage. Van Beveren pushed hard to recover some of the lost time, but eventually reached the finish 11’44” down in sixth place. It was a frustrating day for the Frenchman, who now faces a 16’52” deficit in the overall standings. After a difficult opening stage, Tosha Schareina endured another challenging day in the Moroccan desert. By the first time check he was already 1’52” down and bike issues compounded his problems as the stage progressed. After a testing 300 km against the clock, the Spaniard eventually reached the finish more than 16 minutes off the pace. Having arrived at the Rallye du Maroc locked in a battle for the top spot in the World Rally-Raid Championship, Schareina will continue to fight for every possible point over the remaining three days. Stage three takes the riders towards the spectacular dunes of Merzouga, where another demanding test awaits. The competitors will face 363 km against the clock and a total of 591 km in the saddle on another loop from the Zagora bivouac. |
