Tosha Schareina delivered another stellar performance at the Rallye du Maroc, securing consecutive stage victories and tightening the overall race battle.
With the special stage beginning just 3 km from the Erfoud bivouac, riders faced a demanding mix of broken tracks, dry riverbeds, the famed dunes of Merzouga and a punishing final section of rocky terrain and camel grass. The 323 km timed stage would prove both technical and exhausting.
Starting first after his stage two win, Schareina faced the challenge of opening the route, a tough task that he turned into an advantage by maximising the time bonuses. At the early checkpoints, his pace was exceptional, matching teammate Ricky Brabec, who had set off three minutes behind and was following in his tracks. After the first dune section, the pair were tied on time.
As the stage unfolded, Schareina maintained relentless speed and at the 181 km mark, he had cut the overall standings deficit to Daniel Sanders to just four seconds; by 203 km, they were level and by 231 km, he’d edged ahead by the same narrow margin. The battle went down to the wire, with Schareina ultimately taking the stage by a mere five seconds over Sanders. Only 38 seconds now separate the two in the overall standings, setting up an intense showdown over the final two stages.
Ricky Brabec also delivered an impressive performance, shadowing Schareina across the dunes in pursuit of another stage victory to accompany his prologue win. The trio battled fiercely through the Moroccan sands all day and although Brabec lost some time toward the end, he finished just 3’33” off the pace, firmly consolidating his third place overall.
Despite not feeling his best at the start, Adrien Van Beveren pushed on with trademark determination, using the stage to provide valuable setup feedback to the team ahead of Dakar. Finishing fourth, 7’22” behind, he can take pride in his unwavering commitment throughout this rally.
Tomorrow’s penultimate stage will be another demanding loop heading south from Erfoud. With 283 km against the clock in the dunes, the pressure will be on once again as Schareina faces the challenge of leading the way.
Ruben Faria – General Manager : « Stage three was a very complete one, featuring fast tracks, dunes, riverbeds and camel grass – it was 323 demanding kilometres in total. Tosha opened the stage and delivered an incredible performance, setting a strong pace and winning the special by just five seconds over Daniel Sanders. Of course, starting second tomorrow would have been strategically better, but that’s racing and anything can happen. Ricky started second today, rode well but couldn’t quite match Tosha’s pace and he finished third on the stage and also moved into third overall. Adrien placed fourth and he’s showing solid progress every day, finishing just over seven minutes behind Tosha. Tomorrow’s stage looks fast again and we hope the riders can repeat today’s efforts and keep fighting for the podium going into the final day. »
Ricky Brabec #9 – Stage: 3rd Overall: 3rd : « It was a good one, I started second on the road and it was a really fast and flowy stage today with a lot of dunes. I felt good overall. Tosha was pushing, I tried my best to catch him and there were a few moments I was in the dust a little bit, but he was on a different level today. And then, Daniel, who started behind me, was also pushing really fast and these two guys are battling and riding really well. Me and Tosha are in a big fight for second in the championship, but unfortunately, I think Tosha wants to win the race more than get second in the championship. So at this point I don’t know, the gaps are pretty big from me to Tosha, so tomorrow, I’d have to catch him and be in front, the rate he’s riding he’s doing really well. So at this point, let’s just keep it safe, get to the finish line and get to the end of Morocco rally. »
Adrien Van Beveren #42 – Stage: 4th Overall: 4th : « This morning I woke up and felt weak. I don’t know, maybe I’m starting to pay a little bit. I can’t complain, I always have to remember why I came here. For sure, there’s a part of my mind where I want to fight with the guys in the front, but today my condition is not 100%. We knew this and we did come for a different challenge, to build up for Dakar and I’m really proud of what I’m doing. I’m giving feedback to the team, we’re trying to improve stuff on the bike and also for myself. I’m unlocking some stuff in my mind after the crash and getting my confidence back. The terrain is especially rough and when it’s rough like this I hold on a lot and feel I can go into beast mode. I have to commit, but also slow down a little bit and try to make it to the end. »
Tosha Schareina #68 – Stage: 1st Overall: 2nd : « Actually it was pretty good today, I’m so happy because we had that mission to open from the beginning to the end and we did it, we took all the bonus time possible and we took another win, so that’s cool. We will have the difficult mission again to open the stage tomorrow. It was not easy today, we had around 25 km at the beginning with so many dunes, we crossed all of Merzouga, so it was not easy. We did it though, the team is working really hard on the bikes, with some upgrades, so we’ll push again tomorrow. »
Rally GP Result – Stage 3
1. Schareina Tosha (SPA) – Monster Energy Honda HRC, 03:37:48
2. Sanders Daniel (AUS) – KTM Factory Racing Team, + 00:05
3. Brabec Ricky (USA) – Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 03:13
4. Van Beveren Adrien (FRA) – Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 07:22
5. Cornejo Florimo José Ignacio (CHI) – Hero Motorsports Team Rally, + 08:31
6. Santolino Lorenzo (SPA) – Sherco TVS Rally Factory, + 09:55
7. Cox Bradley (RSA) – BAS Dakar KTM Racing Team, + 21:22
8. Svitko Stefan (SLO) – Slovnaft Rally Team, + 32:17
Rally GP Provisional Standings After Stage 3
1. Sanders Daniel (AUS) – KTM Factory Racing Team, 10:27:34
2. Schareina Tosha (SPA) – Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 00:38
3. Brabec Ricky (USA) – Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 07:23
4. Van Beveren Adrien (FRA) – Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 18:40
5. Cornejo Florimo José Ignacio (CHI) – Hero Motorsports Team Rally, + 27:52
6. Santolino Lorenzo (SPA) – Sherco TVS Rally Factory, + 29:45
7. Cox Bradley (RSA) – BAS Dakar KTM Racing Team, + 46:37
8. Svitko Stefan (SLO) – Slovnaft Rally Team, + 01:15:15