Desert storm disrupts third stage
The third stage of the ongoing Afriquia Merzouga Rally in Morocco proved to be difficult for riders when a storm hit riders, during the second half of the stage.
The storm lasted for only about 30 minutes but was enough to complicate matters for the riders and organisers.
The third stage was relatively shorter and took riders around in twin loops of Erfoud — the bigger one accounting for 112km and the inner loop adding another 63km to make up a total run of 175km.
Joaquim Rodrigues of Hero Motorsports Team Rally started the stage well, but a mechanical failure derailed him. Things got worse as he was forced to stop by the sandstorm in the middle of his run, while others had already crossed the finish line. He finished the day in the 23rd place.
The stage proved testing for C.S. Santosh as well, as he struggled with a malfunctioning bike.He finished the day on the 17th spot.
“I was feeling really good at the start of the stage and tried to catch the guys in front of me. But then my bike started losing water because of a puncture in the cooling system. I managed to finish the first loop somehow,” Rodrigues said.
“The team fixed the issue and I started the second loop well only to get caught in a big sand storm. I had to stop in the beginning as I couldn’t see anything but then I started again, driving at a very slow speed to bring the bike home safely. It was really hard to navigate in the storm but in the end I am happy to be back safely.”
Santosh said, “Today was going to be a relatively short day with just two stages and a lot of navigation. I started really well and I was able to catch the rider in front but then a malfunction happened.
“The second loop was good until I got caught in the storm for the last 4 km or so. Overall I rode well today but lost some time. I am now looking forward to the marathon stage.”