Consolidating their performances further, the rider duo of Joaquim Rodrigues and Oriol Mena made a fantastic run in stage 3 to finish in 2nd and 3rd place respectively. This superlative effort takes JRod to 2nd place and Oriol Mena to 3rd in the overall rankings, ensuring that Hero MotoSports Team Rally enters the half-way mark in a very strong position.
Stage 3 of the Merzouga Rally was composed of two stages. The 229.59 km special was divided into two parts (89 km and 107 km) and riddled with navigational pitfalls. The first part was a little bit rugged and the second one required the riders to be on top of their navigation to get out of this labyrinth, finally taking the rally to a halt at the Marathon bivouac, where the competitors will be left on their own to attend to their machines and themselves.
With the first half of the marathon stage in the books, the second part of the Marathon will test the riders with another long day of riding to re-unite with their teams back at the rally bivouac at Erfoud.
Oriol Mena, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, « I had a really good day. Made no mistakes and got into a very nice rhythm. For a good 50km, I was at the head of the pack and riding with a very nice flow. I am happy to bring the bike safe to the Marathon Bivouac. One more stage in the books and only 2 more to go. »
Joaquim Rodrigues, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, « It was another long stage today. I did well today, avoided taking any unnecessary risks as we don’t have our team to assist tonight. So my focus was to bring the bike to the marathon bivouac safely. Overall a good day for me and for the team. »
Provisional Rankings of the Stage 3
1. Adrien Van Beveren, Yamaha Racing, 03h 25m 31s
2. Joaquim Rodrigues, Hero MotoSports, +02m 23s
3. Oriol Mena, Hero MotoSports, +03m 08s
4. Alessandro Botturi, Africa Dream Racing, +03m 33s
5. Sebastian Buhler, Buhler Racing Team, +03m 54s
Provisional Overall Rankings after the Stage 3
1. Adrian Van Beveren, Yamaha Racing, 11h 00m 49s
2. Joaquim Rodrigues, Hero MotoSports, +16m 00s
3. Oriol Mena, Hero MotoSports, +25m 16s
4. Jacopo Cerrutti, Solarys Racing, +25m 28s
5. Branch Ross, BAS Dakar Team, +26m 55s
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