Despite an accident in the 5th Stage of the Morocco Desert Challenge, the Portuguese driver remains in 12th place
Maria Luís Gameiro continues to demonstrate her excellent form, although today things went worse for the Portuguese driver who lost some time following an accident in the middle of this fifth stage of the Morocco Desert Challenge. The Team Motivo JCB driver continues to progress and the 12th time in the Stage ends up translating into something positive in light of the setback suffered.
The fifth stage of this tough race was the second longest, followed by the toughest stage, stage 4. From Smara to Assa, Maria Luís Gameiro and Rosa Romero covered 375 km of a stage that was once again diverse, with different challenges. The Morocco Desert Challenge has served stages where it is necessary to combine skill in the technical areas, courage in the faster areas, always with navigation playing a crucial role in the result.
With a slightly more favorable position on the road, Maria Luís only didn't do better because of the accident she was involved in, but that didn't even take her out of the top 10 overall. In a phase of getting to know each other and working as a team with their navigator, the Mini JCW T1+ duo from Team Motivo JCB now has almost a 30-minute advantage over the tenth-placed driver, being just under 5 minutes behind eighth place. The door is open for a rise in the rankings, although Maria Luís is aware that there is still a long way to go.
“Fifth stage completed... despite everything! After yesterday’s difficulties, we managed to set a stronger pace today. However, I was unable to avoid an accident that made me lose a lot of time, but fortunately it didn’t have any major consequences for the car. We continued in the race and that’s the most important thing. From now on, the stages will gradually become shorter and, therefore, there will be fewer opportunities to gain time. However, as we saw today, anything can happen and we know that we can be surprised in the blink of an eye. But both Rosa and I are focused on maintaining the level and always trying to do our best.
Stage 6, which will connect Assa to Foum Zguid, begins with a 187 km link, avoiding difficult paths and military checkpoints. This stage is divided into two parts: the first presents rugged terrain with eroded riverbeds, rocky paths and deep holes, requiring maximum concentration. From km 60 onwards, the terrain becomes faster, with gravel and hard sand, although it remains treacherous, with hidden speed bumps. Part 2 is more pleasant, with a 20km dune section offering soft sand. Although not very technical, the dunes require a gentle trajectory. The stage ends with 20 km on “La Piste des Camps”, a fast but demanding track with deep grooves.
Artificial / Automatic translation
Source: Team Motivo JCB official press release
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