Currais Novos (RN) - The Honda Racing team has reached the halfway point of the RN 1500 Rally by overcoming the second of the four days in the fight for the top positions. On Wednesday (9/4), the riders faced 218 timed kilometers (281 in all) between Cabaceiras, in Paraíba, and Currais Novos, in Rio Grande do Norte, on a route that alternated winding, fast and technical stretches in the Sertão do Cariri. Bruno Crivilin (Moto 2) and Tiago Wernersbach (Moto 3) were the fastest in their categories. In Moto 1, Martin Duplessis came very close to victory.
On his Honda CRF 450RX, Duplessis kept his promise from the day before and attacked to be second fastest in the overall motorcycle classification and in his category, just 23 seconds behind the winner. “I felt good on the bike and I knew I was strong. It was a tough stage, complete with a lot of navigation. I caught up with the riders who started ahead of me and rode for almost 60 km in the dust. The team is doing well, which is the most important thing. Now I'm going to concentrate on another day,” said the Argentinian, the reigning two-time Latin American champion. He is third in Moto 1 and in the overall table of the RN 1500 Rally.
The dust also made it difficult for Frenchman Romain Dumontier, who is making his debut with the team and in Brazilian rallies with another CRF 450RX. Despite the setback, he was third in Moto 1 and took second place in both the category and the overall standings over the first two days. “It was good, but it could have been better. I was limited by the dust for 50 kilometers, lost some time and the chance to win the stage,” he said.
In Moto 2, Bruno Crivilin, on another CRF 450RX, had a special day. He won his first stage victory in rallies, a sport in which he is taking his first steps, and third place overall. “It was a fast stage at the start, but technical and tight towards the end. Right after refueling I made a small navigation mistake, managed to recover and finished close to the fastest riders in Moto 1. I arrived well and the bike is 100%. The third day promises to be very technical, with Enduro characteristics, which could help me,” said the owner of 12 Brazilian Enduro titles. In the accumulated results, the rider from Espírito Santo remains in second place in the Moto 2 class.
Tiago Wernersbach won again in Moto 3 and extended his lead in the accumulated standings. “It was a great day, I won once again and was sixth overall. I'm not far behind the frontrunners, even though I'm still getting used to the bike. It's all about staying focused to finish well, with another good result,” summed up the rider from Espírito Santo, who is competing for the first time with the CRF 450RX.
The 27th RN 1500 Rally continues this Thursday (10/4) with a 178 km special (261 km in total) around Currais Novos. In rally jargon, a loop stage. The champions will be announced in São Miguel do Gostoso (RN) on Friday (11/4). The event is valid as the opening of the Brazilian Rally Raid Championship and as the second stage of the FIM Latin American Championship.
The Honda Racing Rally Team is sponsored by Pro Honda, Honda Seguros, Axalta, DID, NGK, Ogio and ASW.
Results (unofficial)
Standings after two stages (top three)
General Motorcycles
1st - Adrien Metge #1 - 7h12min35
2nd - Romain Dumontier #23 - Honda CRF 450RX - Honda Racing - 7h16min27
3rd - Martin Duplessis #3 - Honda CRF 450RX - Honda Racing - 7h17min18
5th - Bruno Crivilin #11 - Honda CRF 450RX - Honda Racing - 7h19min37
6th - Tiago Wernersbach #7 - Honda CRF 450RX - Honda Racing - 7h26min12
Artificial/Automatic Translation
Source: Honda Brasil
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