Mário Franco and navigator Daniel Jordão today started their participation in the Dakar 2024, competition where the team is having the first contact in competition with the Yamaha YXZ 1000R Turbo T3, with which they compete in the category Challenger.
The 28 km prologue that was competed today in Alula and which determines the starting order for the first stage did not run entirely of fiction to the team Franco Sport, having the Yamaha registered with the number 317 registered a hole in the middle of the section. The team chose not to change the wheel given the short extension of the special and in the end was extremely motivated.
“The prologue went well, but we had a flat tyre at the middle of the stage that made us waste some time, then the car also lost some power because there was a lot of sand. With a hole in the back on the left, we chose not to stop to change the wheel. If we did, we'd be wasting a lot of time. We're satisfied. The prologue is worth what it is. The rally starts tomorrow. It's the first time we've been driving this test car, excluding the shakedown, the feeling is very good. The change from one car to another is very large. This car at the suspension level is very soft. The glass brought us a different sense of comfort. We have no idea how fast we were going. The car is, in fact, impeccable. The car is new and our relationship with the car is also new, so our expectation is to manage step by step. It is all a novelty, the browser is also new. The expectation is good, but we will see how it runs”, emphasizes Mário Franco at the end of the prologue that Franco Sport concluded in the middle of the Challenger classification.
Tomorrow the first stage of the 2024 Dakar Rally will be held over 414 kilometers, connecting Alula to Al Henakiyah. The challenge promises to be difficult and the draft will be innovative.
Automatic translation of the original Portuguese version available
Source: Franco Sport's official press release
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