Bruno Crivilin made a flying start to his Rallye du Maroc debut, taking the Rally 2 victory on the prologue for Monster Energy Honda HRC by just six-tenths of a second.
At just 16.7 km, the opening timed section may have been brief, but the mix of stony and sandy tracks left little room for error. Add in 158 km of road sections to and from Agadir, it made for a challenging first day in Morocco.
Fresh from a clean sweep of stage victories at the Desafío Ruta 40 in Argentina, the Monster Energy Honda HRC Rally 2 team picked up exactly where it left off. Making his Rallye du Maroc debut and competing in only his second rally-raid, Bruno Crivilin produced a superb ride to set the fastest Rally 2 time, edging his nearest rival by just six-tenths of a second.
Crivilin’s prologue success extended Honda’s impressive run of Rally 2 stage victories and marked the Brazilian’s second win in the category, following his breakthrough victory on stage one of the Desafío Ruta 40.
It was the perfect start to the team’s Moroccan campaign and gives Crivilin plenty of confidence on his Honda CRF450RX RALLY heading into the first full stage of the rally tomorrow.
Martim Ventura, the last Rally2 rider to leave the line as the current leader of the Rally 2 World Cup standings, finished third, just one second behind his teammate. Despite a small mistake and challenging dusty conditions, Ventura kept himself firmly in contention ahead of the first full stage.
Preston Campbell was one place further back in fourth, six seconds behind Crivilin, as he made a solid start to his second Rallye du Maroc appearance. After a productive summer of training, the American will look to draw on the experience gained at last year’s event as he aims to fight among the Rally2 front-runners throughout the week.
Stage one will see the rally leave the coastal city of Agadir and head east towards Zagora, known as the gateway to the Sahara. A mammoth 636 km awaits the riders, including 268 km against the clock, as the first major test of this year’s Rallye du Maroc gets underway.
Ruben Faria : « It was a really good start. Bruno had a great prologue, taking the win, while Martim also put in a strong performance. He made a couple of mistakes but recovered quickly to finish third, just one second behind Bruno, which puts him in a good position for tomorrow.
« Preston finished fourth, six seconds back, so all three riders will get to choose their starting positions for stage one.
« I’m very happy with the result, but we’ll take it day by day. It’s Bruno’s first time at this rally, so he still needs to learn the navigation and get a better understanding of the terrain, but it’s a very positive start for all three riders. »
Martim Ventura #84 – Prologue: 3rd : « I’m happy with how it went, although I think it could have been a little better. I made a mistake and then caught quite a lot of dust from the rider ahead of me, which made things a bit more difficult.
« But it’s a good start, the feeling is good and tomorrow we head into the desert around Zagora. It should be a fun week. I would have liked to start a little better, but I’m happy overall, so let’s go! »
Preston Campbell #85 – Prologue: 4th : « I’m stoked to be back here in Morocco for my second time. I feel much more comfortable this year. Argentina was an okay result, and it was nice to get some good training in over the summer, so I’m happy to be here and ready to go.
« The prologue was good and really quick, with lots of WPPs, so you always had to keep an eye on the waypoints and make sure you weren’t cutting. It started off rocky, which wasn’t so comfortable for me, but then it opened up onto sandy pistes, which was really nice.
« I’m happy with the result today. It’s a good start to the week and I’m looking forward to what’s ahead. »
Bruno Crivilin #69 – Prologue: 1st : « The prologue was really nice and I enjoyed the stage. It was short but fast, with a good mix of rocky sections and sand.
« I’m really happy to win the prologue in Rally 2 and to finish inside the top five overall. The bike is working really well and the team is getting everything ready for tomorrow’s big stage.
« It’s great to start the rally with a win, so I’m really happy and looking forward to tomorrow. »
Rally 2 Result – Prologue
1. Crivilin Bruno (BRA) – Honda HRC, 11:30.1
2. Docherty Michael (RSA) – BAS World KTM Racing Team, 0:00
3. Ventura Martim (POR) – Honda HRC, +0:01
4. Campbell Preston (USA) – Honda HRC, +0:06
5. Dabrowski Konrad (POL) – Duust Rally Team, +0:30
6. Theric Neels (FRA) Kove Factory Racing, +0:37
7. Karka Dovydas (LTU) – Duust Rally Team, +0:39
8. Herrera Ried Benjamín (CHI) – Xraids Experience, +0:45
9. Mulec Toni (SLO) – BAS World KTM Racing Team, +0:45
10. Ghorpade Shlok (IND) – Hero Motorsports Team, Rally +0:45