Continuing his impressive run from yesterday, Oriol Mena brought home another strong finish for the team.
Playing the terrain on its merits, Mena’s judgement of knowing when to push hard and when to be cautious was spot on again, allowing him to post yet another solid stage, finishing at 11th position.
As the rally enters the Marathon bivouac today his performance allowed him to retain his 12th position in the overall standings at the end of stage 4.
Joaquim Rodrigues started the stage at the back and had to be content with riding cautiously for the first part of the Marathon, as the dust from the front riders made it almost impossible to push ahead without taking unwanted risks.
After the neutralization though, the more technical section kicked in and it allowed him to gain several positions to finish the stage in the 30th place, enabling him to retain his overnight ranking 31st in the overall standings.
Santosh too had a cautious run today, aiming to get himself and the bike in a good condition to the Marathon stage considering that no assistance will be available today to attend to the bikes and the riders. He finished the stage in 51st place and stands 44th in the overall standings as he checked into the Marathon Bivouac at Moquegua.
The 1st half of the Marathon stage promised the competitors a mix of 70% soft terrain, fesh-fesh and about 30% of gravel and stony terrain, a perfect formula for another fast yet tricky stage that ran for a total of 511kms including a 351km long special.
The second half of the Marathon stage will get underway tomorrow bringing the competitors back from the Moquegua to the Arequipa bivouac to reunite with their teams.
Oriol Mena (Comp No: 7): « The first part of the stage up to the neutralization was extremely fast. I got into a nice rhythm and rode with the leading group for most of the first part. After the neutralization, I decided to ride with more caution in the fesh-fesh and the stony sections to avoid unnecessary risks. Happy to check – in my bike in perfect condition in the Marathon Bivouac and looking forward to the motocross style start tomorrow. »
Joaquim Rodrigues (Comp No: 27): « It was not easy for me to catch up in the first part today as I was riding mostly in the dust from the guys in front of me. So I decided to stay out of the risks and just tried to avoid the dust. After the neutralization, I got into a good stride in the technical sections and managed to gain some ground. I feel good to have reached the marathon bivouac with me and the bike in good condition. »
C.S Santosh (Comp No: 50): « Well today I rode the whole stage in the dust, trying to pass the guys in front of me but also be safe at the same time. It was really tricky as there was so much of fesh-fesh around. Besides one or two tip overs, I am happy with the stage today. I think I am able to manage my race much better this year than last year. So I am happy with my progress and things are looking good so far. »
Provisional Stage 4 Results
1. Ricky Brabec, Honda Factory Racing, Honda, 03h 40m 30s
2. Matthias Walkner, KTM Factory Racing, KTM, +06m 19s
3. Toby Price, KTM Factory Racing, KTM, +07m 07s…
11. Oriol Mena, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, Hero MotoSports, +17m 16s…
30. Joaquim Rodrigues, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, Hero MotoSports, +36m 50s…
51. C S Santosh, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, Hero MotoSports, +01h 17m 39s…
Provisional Overall Results after Stage 4
1. Ricky Brabec, Honda Factory Racing, Honda, 12h 33m 00s
2. Pablo Quintanilla, Husqvarna Factory Racing, Husqvarna, +02m 19s
3. Toby Price, KTM Factory Racing, KTM, +04m 22s…
12. Oriol Mena, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, Hero MotoSports, +35m 17s…
31. Joaquim Rodrigues, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, Hero MotoSports, +02h 30m 51s…
44. C S Santosh, Hero Motosports Team Rally, Hero MotoSports, +03h 43m 57s…
Press Release,