Rodrigues And Yamaha Finish Third In Morocco Rally's Final Stage

2016-10-08 12:22
Determined to give Yamaha a place on the podium at the OiLibya Morocco Rally 2016, Hélder Rodrigues put in a committed final stage performance to finish the very last day of the race in third. Ensuring a positive end to his week-long adventure in Morocco, the Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team rider wrapped up the last international multi-stage event before next year's Dakar with fourth in the overall standings.

Going from strength to strength as the week went on, Rodrigues showed he has what it takes to go head to head against the elite of the international rally scene. Purposely making a cautious start to the race during the opening stages Hélder then went on the attack as the race approached its hardest part, in the dunes of the Sahara.

A third on stage five and fourth overall at this year's Morocco Rally, Hélder and the Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team can now focus on the upcoming Dakar Rally in January extremely pleased with the performance of the updated WR450F Rally.

Racing a faultless final stage Hélder's teammate Adrien Van Beveren brought his WR450F Rally home sixth for sixth overall at this year's Morocco Rally. Collecting a huge amount of experience during the past few days the Frenchman is also now looking forward to taking to the start of next January's Dakar in South America.

For Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team's Alessandro Botturi the final stage of the Morocco Rally was the ideal proof that the Italian rider has the speed and consistency to be among the frontrunners. Despite racing most of today's stage in the dust of other riders Alessandro worked hard to complete the day seventh.

Battling through sickness Rodney Faggotter managed to earn a spot inside the top ten in the overall standings following the rally's final stage. Achieving his goal of a strong finish in his first rally as part of the Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team, the Australian will keep working hard with the goal of coming back even stronger for the Dakar.

The Morocco Rally had a positive ending for WR450F mounted Xavier de Soultrait. Wrapping up the event fifth overall, the Frenchman was one of three Yamaha riders inside the top six in the rally's final results.

The Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team return to action on January 2 as they take the start to the Dakar Rally 2017 in Asunción, Paraguay.

Hélder Rodrigues - Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team Hélder Rodrigues, Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team rider
3rd Stage 5 / 4th Overall

"I'm really happy to end this rally with third on the final stage. I did my best today to get on the overall podium. We had a great battle for most of the special stage with Quintanilla but he managed to get the best of me. In any case, we take our fourth overall and continue working towards our goal, which is nothing else than an equally good or even better result at the Dakar. This week we proved we could be among the frontrunners. The new bike works great and we had absolutely no problem with it during the whole rally. It's reassuring to know we can be fast on the bike and after this past week I feel even more motivated for the race in January."
Adrien Van Beveren- Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team Adrien Van Beveren, Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team rider
6th Stage 5 / 6th Overall

"The feeling has been really good today. I managed to stay away from any mistakes and brought my bike home sixth for sixth overall. During the past few days we've been able to test a number of different settings on our bikes. From suspension to tiny little details, we now know a lot more about what could make us faster and more effective in the future. My race pace was very good throughout the week so now I need to stay focused on further improving my navigation. The bike feels great and we have a great team behind us, so honestly I feel we're on the right track for the future."
Alessandro Botturi - Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team Alessandro Botturi, Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team rider
7th Stage 5

"It's been quite an eventful rally for me with a pretty good ending. Today I was the 12th rider to take the start of the final stage. I struggled with other riders' dust again but pushed hard to bring it home in seventh. I'm quite sure that if it wasn't for my problems at stage two, a spot inside the top five in the overall was well within my reach. For me starting the last two stages from the back I was forced to make a lot of passes, while also having to stay focused on my navigation. That was a big lesson for me. We take the positives from this rally and focus on our next big adventure in January."
Rodney Faggotter - Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team Rodney Faggotter, Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team rider
15th Stage 5 / 10th Overall

"It's been a long day for me but I'm happy I earned a place inside the top 10. I wasn't feeling that well since yesterday. I must have caught a kind of virus that made me feel sick. I had trouble sleeping at night and got seriously dehydrated today. I struggled to reach the finish line today but finally I made it. I'm really happy with the result. It's just been my first rally as part of the team and I've learned so much. The plan is to return home to Australia now and keep working hard for the upcoming Dakar. This rally has been a great taster of what's to come and I can't wait to get at it again on January."
José Leloir - Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team manager José Leloir, Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team manager
"We're very satisfied with the outcome of this rally. After a long week of racing in every kind of condition, there are four Yamaha riders inside the top 10 in the final standings. Hélder had a big fight with Quintanilla today for the overall podium. Their gap at the end of the stage was less than one minute. Overall, all of our riders did a great job this week. We learned a lot and made huge progress in terms of the development of our new rally machine. We'll now have to analyse all info we collected during this rally, in order to be 100% on January 2nd, when our riders will take the start to the Dakar 2017."
OiLibya Morocco Rally 2016 - Stage 5 Results
1. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 2:29:48
2. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 2:32:09, +2:21
3. Hélder Rodrigues (POR), Yamaha, 2:32:43, +2:55
4. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 2:33:36, +3:48
5. Juan Pedrero (ESP), Sherco, 2:36:07, 6:19
6. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, 2:36:31, +6:43
7. Alessandro Botturi (ITA), Yamaha, 2:37:53, +8:05
…
12. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA), Yamaha, 2:41:09, +11:21
15. Rodney Faggotter (AUS), Yamaha, 2:44:29, +14:41

OiLibya Morocco Rally 2016 - Final Classification
1. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 13:06:35
2. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 13:14:19, +7:44
3. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL), Husqvarna, 13:23:37, +17:02
4. Hélder Rodrigues (POR), Yamaha, 13:25:40, 19:05
5. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA), Yamaha, 13:39:39, +33:04
6. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, 13:40:34, +33:59
…
10. Rodney Faggotter (AUS), Yamaha, 14:19:52, +1:13:17

Source: Yamaha Motor Europe N.V.

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