Portuguese rider climbed more than 40 positions over the course of the day
António Maio wasn't happy at the start of the first part of the marathon stage, held today between Al Henakiyah and Alula, in Saudi Arabia. At the controls of a Yamaha WR450 Rally, the Franco Sport Yamaha Racing Team rider was only 64th at the Waypoint of km 27, but from then on his performance clearly improved and he ended the day in 22nd place overall and 14th in the Rally GP standings, spending just 5m26s more than world champion Ross Branch, the Botswana rider in third place overall.
António Maio, after completing the 415 timed kilometers at the start of the marathon stage, where the drivers will only have an hour and a half to work on their machines without the help of their assistance team, is now 17th in the Rally GP standings.
Tomorrow will see the fifth stage of the 2025 Dakar Rally with a route designed between Alula and Hail where 428km will be timed. The drivers will have to tackle very fast tracks from the start, but the pace will slow down when the race hits sandy soil. The mosaic of landscapes on this stage will then lead to rocky terrain on the outskirts of Hail.
Automatic translation of the Portuguese version available on www.todoterreno.pt
Source: Antonio Maio / A2 Comunicacão
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