Portuguese driver faced yet another tough stone stage
António Maio completed another stage of the 47th Dakar Rally, this time the third, which took place between Bisha and Al Henakiyah. It was another complex day where the 327 timed kilometers that made up the route were dominated by very rocky surfaces. Once again, the Franco Sport Yamaha Racing Team rider was faced with the enormous harshness that characterizes this competition and which put his skill to the test to overcome the enormous difficulties that arose throughout the special.
“This stage was complicated. After a 150 km link-up, we did 320 km of the special, half of it on stone, and it was very difficult. It was a very dangerous stage. I caught a lot of dust and lost some time at the start of the day due to a navigation error. I also had a small mishap because I noticed that I didn't have the cap on the gas tank and I thought I'd lost all the gas. However, it was the cable connecting the tanks that was disconnected. I managed to resolve the situation and finished another special. In the end, we drove another 350 km in the bitter cold. I was rescued by a jacket lent to me by an Arab, which calmed down the cold a bit,” said António Maio who, at the controls of a Yamaha WR450 Rally, completed the course in 4h09m36s and is now 28th in the overall standings and 17th in the Rally GP standings.
Tomorrow's fourth stage of the 2025 Dakar Rally will take place between Al Henakiyah and Alula, in Saudi Arabia. It will cover 588 km, of which 415 will be timed. The fourth stage marks the start of the marathon day, where at the end of the day the drivers will only have an hour and a half to work on their machines. It will be another complex challenge for the competitors.
Source: Antonio Maio / A2 Comunicação
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