Fenix Rally 2024: The restart
After the rest day the marathon moved to Ksar Ghilane
After the unexpected big storms which caused the cancelation of Leg 3 and a well-deserved rest day in Douz, Fenix Rally 2024 restarted on full throttle. The race moved towards the magnificent oasis to Ksar Ghilane, with perfect stage which offered more than 270 kilometers, from which 233 were against the clock.
The track started with fast sandy and gravel tracks towards Bir Soltane, where the terrain became more rough gravel, but still with fast routes and tricky navigation. The second part of the stage gave to the racers first taste of the dunes, before reaching the finish line near the oasis.
In the bike class, we didn’t saw the usual top 3 pilots, claiming the best position. This time, the stage winner was Simone Boer (№20) from Italy with Husqvarna. The pilot from Italy managed to finish with advance of almost 18 minutes to Jurgis Rietmus (№10, KTM) from Latvia. Third for the day was Remi Lauilhe (№16, KTM) from France, 20:30 min. behind the winner.
Gilles Mecene (№28, Yamaha) claimed the stage win in the ATV class. The Frenchman got 8 minutes advance to his fellow countryman Gerome Pla (№23, Polaris), who, anyway, has a none than a huge advance in the overall. Daily top 3 was completed by Stuart Marley (№19, Can-Am), who finished some half an hour behind Mecene.
New racing day, new best time by Jerome Pelichet (№215, Optimus). The Frenchman was enough fast to take another huge advance to his rivals. Second fastest on the route to Ksar Ghilane was Tudor Alexandru (№218, Gekko) who “stole” 40 seconds from Alexander Oberlechner (№210, Land Rover).
We expect big changes in the SSV class, as some the usual leaders didn’t have a good day, resulting in big time losses. But it was a good day for Tomas Mickus (№439, Can-Am) who claimed the stage win. The pilot from Lithuania clinched 8 minutes and a half to Marcin Graczyk (№425, Can-Am) from Poland and two more to his compatriot Algirdas Talutis (№411, Can-Am).
Once again, Paolo Calabria set the pace in the truck or “MAN” class of Fenix 2024. The Italian is no less than a total dominant, with hours ahead to Klaas Steinhoefel and Matthias Koerber from Germany.
After the first night in Ksar Ghilane, the competitors will face more than 310 racing kilometers with almost no liaisons in the area of the oasis. The route will start with fast sandy and gravel terrain which will change to dunettes and then dunes in the region of Grand Erg. After another portion of gravel the participants will cross the dube field of Zmela and then, again on harder terrain they will see the finish near the camp.
Source: Fenix Rally / RBI
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