Old Friends Rally Team duo halted for an hour and a half
After clinching victory in the prologue on the first day of the South African Safari Rally, Alexandre Pinto and Bernardo Oliveira faced a challenging day in the South African round of the World Rally-Raid Championship. The Old Friends Rally Team duo continued to be the fastest among the SSV competitors in this third round of the championship, but they were forced to stop for over an hour and a half to repair their Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR due to a mechanical issue. Once the problem was fixed—thanks to their impressive mechanical skills—the pair rejoined the race and quickly returned to being the fastest team in the SSV category.
“We started out front and were the fastest on the course, but at kilometer 30 we had a mechanical failure that cost us a lot of time—over an hour lost. That setback really affected our race, and we’ve fallen behind the leading pack, but we’re still fighting to score as many points as possible for the World Championship,” explained Alexandre Pinto, the current leader of the World Rally-Raid Championship in the SSV class, commenting on the 260 km timed stage that took place today around Sun City.
Tomorrow features Stage 2, the first part of the marathon stage, in Barberspan. It will include the longest special of the rally, with 357 km against the clock. Upon arrival, no external mechanical assistance will be allowed. This will be the only night the bivouac is located outside of Sun City.
More information about the South African Safari Rally at: https://sasafarirally.co.za/
Automatic / IA translation of the Portuguese version
Source: Old Friends Rally Team / A2 Comunicação
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