TEAM HRC begin the Merzouga Rally2013-10-22 07:24The Merzouga Rally got underway today with the warm-up and prologue. TEAM HRC riders Helder Rodrigues and Sam Sunderland got off at a good pace, although they will be waiting until tomorrow before really beginning to attack. The morning saw the riders carrying out a preparatory dune-filled route of some 120 kilometres, which served to help get used to the road-book and GPS. As the sun went down on Erfoud, the riders took part in a short five kilometre special, as a kind of lead-in to the main event. Nobody was prepared to take any risks, knowing too that a start in tomorrow’s stage from too far up the field could have negative consequences. Helder Rodrigues Helder Rodrigues 30th TEAM HRC We’re expecting a lot of sand and navigation in tomorrow’s stage. That’s why I didn’t want to take any chances, and I prefered to start from a bit behind. Sam Sunderland Sam Sunderland 15th TEAM HRC It was a bit of a shame. I had a minor problem with the grip of the throttle in the special and I wasn’t able to race exactly as I’d have liked. But it’s OK, I’ll start from behind tomorrow but I’ll try and make up some time. Stage Prolog Results 1 Arnold Brucy 02'33 FRA KTM KTM Brucy 2 Jordi Viladoms +00'05 ESP GAS GAS Gas Gas JVO Team 3 Alessandro Botturi +00'05 ITA SPEEDBRAIN Team Speedbrain 4 Antonio Gimeno +00'06 ESP KTM EnduroPro 5 Henk Knuiman +00'11 HOL YAMAHA Yamaha Knuiman 6 Gordon Clarke +00'12 IRE TM Young and Old Ireland 7 Marc Guasch +00'12 ESP GAS GAS Gas Gas JVO Team 8 Frans Verhoeven +00:13 HOL YAMAHA Yamaha Netherlands Verhoeven 9 Gerard Farrés +00:13 ESP GAS GAS Gas Gas JVO Team 10 Ramon Brucart +00:14 ESP YAMAHA Track Lever Racing Overall standings after Prolog 1 Arnold Brucy 02'33 FRA KTM KTM Brucy 2 Jordi Viladoms +00'05 ESP GAS GAS Gas Gas JVO Team 3 Alessandro Botturi +00'05 ITA SPEEDBRAIN Team Speedbrain 4 Antonio Gimeno +00'06 ESP KTM EnduroPro 5 Henk Knuiman +00'11 HOL YAMAHA Yamaha Knuiman 6 Gordon Clarke +00'12 IRE TM Young and Old Ireland 7 Marc Guasch +00'12 ESP GAS GAS Gas Gas JVO Team 8 Frans Verhoeven +00:13 HOL YAMAHA Yamaha Netherlands Verhoeven 9 Gerard Farrés +00:13 ESP GAS GAS Gas Gas JVO Team 10 Ramon Brucart +00:14 ESP YAMAHA Track Lever Racing Event information TOMORROW'S STAGE JAMALUM Tuesday, October 22th: Erfoud-Merzouga-Erfoud Liasion: 8 km Especial: 238 km Liasion: 8 km Don’t take it too easy just by looking at a less than 200 km mileage, the Merzouga Rally 2013 has really begun with a stage that requires endurance and concentration. Till the refuelling, small duens and herbe à chameaux will be key the players together with navigation off-tracks. The second part of the stage, completely new, is a mix of traditional secondary tracks and numerous single tracks with several breathtaking enduro tracks as the Scorpion Pass near Erfoud. Source: Team HRC Click here to visit our forums to discuss this story |
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