Stage 4, which took the teams from Boujdour to Smara, was a 526-kilometre race against the clock, the longest stage of the race, which has now reached its halfway point. After yesterday's brilliant performance, Maria Luís knew that this stage would bring many challenges.
In a fast stage, but with many navigation pitfalls and some more treacherous areas, the Team Motivo JCB duo had to find solutions for navigation, which ended up being made difficult by their position on the road. Being the third car on the stretch, Maria Luís and Rosa Romero missed a Way Point and lost time. From then on, the task became more complicated, but the Mini T1+ duo never gave up and achieved a 14th time, which keeps them in ninth overall for the cars.
The atmosphere was not as festive as yesterday at the bivouac, but Maria Luís remained happy with her performance and determined to continue with the high level she has been showing in this race: “Today was a very tough day. We knew that we would face many challenges in this long stage of over 500 km and this ended up making us lose time. Our position on the road did not favor us and we ended up missing a Way Point. From then on, we were left in the dust of our opponents and lost a lot of time. The 14th fastest time in this stage ended up being a lesser evil. But I am very happy with what we have done so far, we have been showing a great level, I am increasingly comfortable in the car and our progression has been clear with each stage. Tomorrow we will have another long stage, almost 400 km, I am excited about our race so far and I want to continue having fun.”
The 5th stage of the Morocco Desert Challenge 2025 offers a diverse and demanding route. It starts with sandy slopes, then moves into the deep fesh fesh of the Oued Draa around kilometer 40. From kilometer 50 onwards, the terrain alternates between narrow tracks, hills and fast chotts. A salt flat from km 120 will allow high speeds, but from km 150 onwards, the Piste Africaine, rough and rocky, will slow the pace, demanding technical skill. From km 200 onwards, fast sand and wide slopes return, leading to a spectacular final 100 km through a desert valley, ending in stunning scenery.
Source: Team Motivo JCB
Disclaimer:
As a service to the sport we all love and follow, Rally-Raid Network posts numerous media releases from a wide variety of sources on our website. Due to the large number, and some times short time available, it is nearly impossible to review each public release. These articles are written by reporters or press officers who work for various organizers, teams, drivers, riders, and other parties, and they do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Rally-Raid Network.
