Yamaha rider moved up six places in the overall standings
After a more difficult opening stage for the national champion, António Maio put in an excellent performance today in the 470 km timed stage from Al Henakiyah to Al Duwadimi. The Yamaha rider's time of 4h40m48s allowed him to finish in 15th place, just 31s off position 13. With this result, António Maio climbed six places in the overall standings and is less than 10 minutes away from entering the coveted absolute Top 20 in a race where more than three dozen of the world's elite riders are taking part.
"Today's stage was much better and I felt much better too. At first we had some tricky dunes, but then the race became faster, more like my style, with some rocks but nothing like yesterday. We passed a few riders and that made us even more motivated. In the last 30 kilometers I caught a rider who wouldn't let me pass and so I lost some time. The important thing is that we didn't crash, the bike was impeccable, and I'm also better from my cold. It was important to find our rhythm and that happened today. Now we have to keep looking forward. Two down," said António Maio in the bivouac of a Dakar 2024 where he is 26th overall and 17th among the Rally GP riders.
Tomorrow's third stage of the Dakar 2024 marks the first marathon stage of this edition of the world's toughest off-road competition. The first special will be made up of a mixture of rocky trails, vast stretches of sand and dune chains. Finding the right rhythm will be no easy task due to the alternation between fast and slower sections and uneven terrain. On this day the competitors will cover 440 timed kilometers and the mechanics will have just two hours to work before the machines enter the closed park.
Automatic translation of the Portuguese version available on www.todoterreno.pt
Source: Antonio Maio's official press release
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.
