Gonçalo and Salvador Amaral hold 1st and 2nd places in the Rally3 standings
After the setbacks experienced by the Wingmotor Honda team in yesterday’s stage of the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, today’s leg of the Portuguese round of the World Rally-Raid Championship saw Gonçalo Amaral return to winning form. Alongside his brother Salvador, both riding Hondas, he continues to keep the team in the top two positions of the Rally3 classification. Stage 4, contested today, featured 317 timed kilometres across a route split between Spain and Portugal, with Gonçalo Amaral setting the fastest time in Rally3, while Salvador Amaral finished the day in third place.
“Today was a very long day. We covered more than 600 kilometres, which meant we spent over twelve hours on the bike, so it was really tough, but we’ve now reached the Algarve. For this stage, and considering that I have a good advantage, I chose a management pace and didn’t attack in order to avoid taking risks. On top of that, the bike also needs to be preserved, so the focus was on bringing it here carefully. Now there is only one stage left and, fortunately, everything has been going well,” said Wingmotor Honda rider Gonçalo Amaral on arrival at the bivouac in Loulé.
Salvador Amaral, for his part, explained that “we had another very complicated day. At kilometre 60 I started having a problem with the rear wheel, but I was only able to stop a bit further on, in the neutralisation zone, where I managed to fix it, although I lost a lot of time. After that, it was a matter of trying to make up for the loss and minimise the damage. Fortunately, I managed to bring the bike here to the Algarve and I hope tomorrow I can have a less troubled final day of racing.”
The final stage of the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, starting and finishing in Loulé, will feature a short 101-kilometre timed special, plus an additional 190 kilometres of liaison.
Official press release
Photo: Todoterreno.pt / ImagensDesportivas.pt
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