The penultimate day of the Rallye du Maroc brought mixed fortunes for the Monster Energy Honda HRC riders, with Adrien Van Beveren leading the way in third place. Ricky Brabec overcame a navigation error to move back into the provisional overall podium positions, while Tosha Schareina showed strong pace at the front of the field before a mistake cost him valuable time.
Stage four of the Rallye du Maroc saw the riders head northeast on a spectacular route through a series of canyon passes. After yesterday’s dune surfing, dunes accounted for just 6% of today’s stage and although the route wasn’t as intense as previous days, the final 15 km provided a stern test, with heavily broken terrain keeping the riders on their toes all the way to the finish.
Feeling much better after battling a stomach bug yesterday, Adrien Van Beveren was the leading Honda Rally GP rider. The Frenchman found a good rhythm through the sandy sections and secured the final spot on the stage podium, finishing just 3’17” behind stage winner Daniel Sanders. Although he is out of contention for the overall podium, Van Beveren will be looking to continue to round out his Rallye du Maroc on a positive note tomorrow.
Ricky Brabec began the day looking to fight his way back onto the provisional overall podium. Despite making a strong start to the stage, a rear brake issue cost him around six minutes and left him scrambling to recover the lost time. He fought his way to the finish in fourth place, 6’10” behind Sanders, a result that was enough to move him back into third overall. He’ll now look to consolidate that position on tomorrow’s final stage.
Tosha Schareina continued the improved form he showed yesterday as he returned to the fight among the front-runners. Making the most of the fast valley tracks, he caught stage opener Luciano Benavides and put himself in contention for some of the bonus time available for leading from the front. After initially opening a gap, however, a wrong direction cost him valuable time. He still collected 29 seconds in bonuses, while his sixth-place finish didn’t fully reflect the pace he showed throughout the stage.
Tomorrow brings the final day of Rallye du Maroc and with 259 km against the clock, there is still plenty to fight for in and around Zagora. With the podium positions still at stake, the battle is set to go all the way to the finish line.
Ruben Faria
“I expected a better overall result for us today, but Ricky had an issue with the rear brake and rode the whole stage without it. He was focused on the roadbook, but at the same time he lost a little confidence because he had to ride more carefully. He’s happy with the bike and the race and he’ll stay focused for tomorrow.
Tosha was also consistent and rode really well, but around 70 km from the finish there was a difficult note and he went the wrong way, which cost him important time. He lost around seven minutes and eventually finished sixth. He has improved a lot over the last two days, and the focus and mentality he showed yesterday and today is the Tosha we all know from previous rallies.
Adrien was our best rider today in third. The first two days were difficult for him, but yesterday and today were much better. Hopefully, he can finish the rally with another good result tomorrow.”
Ricky Brabec #9
Stage: 4th
Overall: 3rd
“The stage was good. I’m just happy to get to the finish line on two wheels and now focus on the final day. Overall, it’s been a difficult rally. The terrain has been really broken, so I’ve been working every day, improving and seeing which direction is right and what isn’t. But the main goal here is to go home healthy and prepare for the Dakar.”
Adrien Van Beveren #42
Stage: 3rd
Overall: 6th
“It’s been a good day. I’d say it’s the first day where I’ve felt normal. I made no big mistakes and although the navigation was tricky, I took my time when necessary and rode at a good rhythm all the way. I joined up with my teammates during the stage and tried to navigate well for everyone, while still pushing all the way to the end. It’s been a good, solid day. I’m happy and I really enjoyed the ride.”
Tosha Schareina #68
Stage: 6th
Overall: 7th
“The beginning of the day was good for me. I tried to push from the start and caught up with Luciano after refuelling. My mission was to keep pushing and I managed to put two minutes into him. I was opening the stage and felt really comfortable with the flow, but then I made a mistake when I couldn’t find a piste and lost a lot of time. The other riders caught me and we rode together until the end. I was disappointed with that part, but it’s part of the game. I’m happy though, because my pace is back, so I’m ready for tomorrow.”
Source: Monster Energy Honda HRC
