– Hat trick of podium for Docherty in Rally 2
Mike Docherty completed a hat trick of podiums by finishing the Stage 2 in the 2nd position in Rally 2 class yet again, continuing the fantastic run that he’s had since the beginning of the rally. He has managed, with great consistency, to be on the heels of the stage leader, coming agonisingly close to clinching a stage win for himself and Hero MotoSports Team Rally. After another stellar effort today, Mike defended his 6th position successfully in the overall rankings.
For the other two riders, Nacho and Shlok, on the other hand, it was a day of mixed fortunes as both faced some challenges during the stage impacting their overall standings. Nacho started the stage well but made a navigation error shortly after 80km into the stage, losing his way and a significant amount of time. Shlok on the other hand rode well from the beginning but suffered some mechanical issue in his bike and could not continue his quest to complete stage2. As a result of today’s setbacks, Nacho, having finished today’s stage in 21st place, moved down to 11th position in the overall rankings at the end of the stage 2, while Shlok had to forfeit the stage today and will take a restart in the Stage 3 tomorrow.
The stage 2 kicked-off with a 59 km road section followed by a 300 km of competitive section, finally leading onto the 64 km road section making up for a total distance of 423 km to be done before the caravan returns back to the bivouac in Zagora. Today’s stage offered a slow & technical start & finish, with a challenging faster middle section punctuated by several dune crossings that prevented the riders from settling into a sustained pace. Overall, a very gruelling stage because of the kilometres of dunes and small dunes to be crossed with various trails & rocky section and designed to put the man and machine to the test.
After a tough outing today, the riders arrived at the Zagora bivouac, for a much needed and well deserved rest, to recover in time for the Stage 3, which promises another long day at the office which covers a total of 592km, including a 364-km timed special.
Mike Docherty completed a hat trick of podiums by finishing the Stage 2 in the 2nd position in Rally 2 class yet again, continuing the fantastic run that he’s had since the beginning of the rally. He has managed, with great consistency, to be on the heels of the stage leader, coming agonisingly close to clinching a stage win for himself and Hero MotoSports Team Rally. After another stellar effort today, Mike defended his 6th position successfully in the overall rankings.
For the other two riders, Nacho and Shlok, on the other hand, it was a day of mixed fortunes as both faced some challenges during the stage impacting their overall standings. Nacho started the stage well but made a navigation error shortly after 80km into the stage, losing his way and a significant amount of time. Shlok on the other hand rode well from the beginning but suffered some mechanical issue in his bike and could not continue his quest to complete stage2. As a result of today’s setbacks, Nacho, having finished today’s stage in 21st place, moved down to 11th position in the overall rankings at the end of the stage 2, while Shlok had to forfeit the stage today and will take a restart in the Stage 3 tomorrow.
The stage 2 kicked-off with a 59 km road section followed by a 300 km of competitive section, finally leading onto the 64 km road section making up for a total distance of 423 km to be done before the caravan returns back to the bivouac in Zagora. Today’s stage offered a slow & technical start & finish, with a challenging faster middle section punctuated by several dune crossings that prevented the riders from settling into a sustained pace. Overall, a very gruelling stage because of the kilometres of dunes and small dunes to be crossed with various trails & rocky section and designed to put the man and machine to the test.
After a tough outing today, the riders arrived at the Zagora bivouac, for a much needed and well deserved rest, to recover in time for the Stage 3, which promises another long day at the office which covers a total of 592km, including a 364-km timed special.
Mike Docherty, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, « It was a demanding stage today both mentally and physically. The stage was very difficult, quite rocky with many trial sections here and there. In the dunes sections I had a good time. Overall, I felt good today and tried to keep my pace going for as long as the last 30-40 kms and then I dipped down a bit. So taking a lot of positives from today and making a note of things to work on in the upcoming stages. »
Nacho Cornejo, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, « It was a hard day for me today. I was feeling good at the start of the stage and I think I was doing well until I made a navigation error about 15min into the stage and lost a lot of time in finding my way back. The bike worked really well so it was that mistake that cost me and the team a chance at another good stage to bring home. I will continue to fight and try to gain some positions in the upcoming stages. »
Shlok Ghorpade, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, « Today was another experience to learn from. I started the stage well and the bike also felt good. Unfortunately at about 140 kms into the stage, my bike developed some issues and I had to stop and could not continue further. I can say that today I got my first taste of another aspect of the Rally life and learnt a lot from it as well. Tonight we will just work on the bike to get it ready in time for me to take a start again in the stage 3 tomorrow. »
Provisional Rankings – Stage 2
01. Daniel Sanders, Redbull KTM Factory Team, 03hr 35m 14s
02. E. Canet, Redbull KTM Factory Team, + 02m 34s
03. Ricky Brabec, Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 03m 04s
06. Mike Docherty, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 06m 30s
21. Nacho Cornejo, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 23m 51s
Shlok Ghorpade, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, DNF
Provisional Overall Rankings after Stage 2
01. Daniel Sanders, Redbull KTM Factory Team, 06hr 26m 32s
02. Ricky Brabec, Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 02m 54s
03. E. Canet, Redbull KTM Factory Team, + 03m 07s
06. Mike Docherty, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 09m 46s
11. Nacho Cornejo, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 31m 06s
Shlok Ghorpade, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, Not available
Provisional Rankings – Stage 2 – Rally GP
Nacho Cornejo, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, 9th Place
Provisional Overall Rankings after stage 2 – Rally GP
Nacho Cornejo, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, 7th Place
Provisional Rankings – Rally 2 – Stage 2
Mike Docherty, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, 2nd Place
Shlok Ghorpade, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, DNF
Provisional Rankings after Stage 2 – Rally 2
Mike Docherty, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, 2nd Place
Shlok Ghorpade, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, Not Available