Merzouga Rally: Stage 1, 2 And 3 Results

Sherco TVS puts up an impressive display, while Hero stays close behind

Stage 1 -

The 9th edition of the Merzouga Rally kicked off on April 15th and saw both Indian teams getting off to a good start. Stage 1 saw the riders covering just over 200km of two loops. While the first part of 110.7km featured complicated routes, the second loop of 96.01km tested the riders’ mettle with dunes, sand and water zones.

Joan Pedrero of Sherco TVS finished 6th overall, while his teammates Lorenzi Santolino, Duplessis Diego Martin and the new debutant Vanni Cominotto finished 9th, 12th and 27th respectively.

Commenting on his performance, Joan Pedrero, Racer, Sherco TVS Factory Rally Team, said, “The stage was a test of our navigational skills and included dunes, sand as well as water zones. I am happy with my performance and look forward to improving my rankings in the next stage.”

The Hero duo of CS Santosh and Oriol Mena, on the other hand, finished 20th and 11th respectively in southeastern Morocco.

Mena said: 'First part of the stage had really difficult navigation. I started the stage at the 3rd position with no tracks to follow, so I had to put all my focus in navigating. At one point, I lost a few minutes in finding the correct way but I managed to collect all the waypoints.”

Stage 2 -

The second day saw the riders racing to Erg Chebbi region of Merzouga. The total stretch of 175km was split into two loops, consisting of dunes at the beginning and end, and faster tracks in between.

Sherco TVS' Joan Pedrero continued his form and clinched 8th position, followed by Duplessis Diego Martin at 9th and Lorenzo Santolino at 10th position. Debutant Vanni Cominotto finished 24th.

Commenting on his performance, Joan Pedrero of Sherco TVS Factory Rally Team said, "I felt very good in the dunes and finished the stage without any major problems with the bike. Looking forward to the marathon stage tomorrow as it will test both man and machine."

On the Hero front, Oriol started the stage strong but later lost some time due to a technical problem with his bike, finishing 25th overall. CS Santosh had a good run in the dunes and finished the day in 28th position.

C S Santosh, rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, said, “The first part of the stage was good for me as I raked up a good rhythm and speed in the dunes. In the second part I got lost a bit in the dunes and then later in the riverbed trying to find a waypoint, so lost some time there. Overall I rode well and am happy that I was able to help Mena, who got stuck in a dune, to start again and get both the bikes home. I am looking forward to the Marathon stage.”

Stage 3 -

The third day of the 9th edition of the Afriquia Merzouga Rally was packed to the brim with action. The racers faced the first leg of the 241.1km marathon through the heart of the desert without any support crew! Along the way, they soldiered through the dunes of Rissani erg, Chebbi erg along with the sand in Fezou region and Ouzina erg before finishing at the campsite.

Sherco TVS rider Joan Pedrero clinched an overall ranking of 8th followed by Lorenzi Santolino at 9th position. TVS' other riders, Duplessis Diego Martin and Vanni Cominotto, also made steady progress and finished the stage at 11th and 24th position respectively.

Commenting on his performance, Joan Pedrero, racer of Sherco TVS Factory Rally Team, said, "This stage was extremely challenging for me as I had to negotiate dunes, sand and stones in a special marathon stage. We had to cross the tricky stone terrain with care as there was no external help at this stage. I am glad to have finished it with my bike in a good condition."

Hero rider Oriol Mena climbed up nine places and finished the race in 16th position while CS Santosh made steady progress and climbed up eight positions to finish 20th overall.

Stage 4, the second leg of the marathon stage, will see the racers facing more dunes before reaching the Errachildia plateau. The 372 km route will also feature a 233 km special. The racers will again be with no service crew.

Source:ZigWheels.com