Transfer : 54 km - Special : 408 km in two laps- Transfer : 54 km
AMV Shamrock - Rallye du Maroc (September 21st-27th 2008)
THIERRY BETHYS TAKES IT ALL!
After a very difficult fourth day, with a lot of navigation, Thierry Bethys robs the bank and gets himself in the leading position of the AMV Shamrock-Rallye du Maroc, stealing one hour from David Frétigné, troubled by numerous navigation mistakes. I
t was a Honda day since Bruno da Costa won the leg and thus gets third in the overall. Harite Gabari keeps going and wins the scratch in the first lap.
Michel Marchini also wasted a lot of time on this treasure hunt. For the cars, Schlesser kept on putting the Russians under pressure, and again stole a few more minutes today.
The difference is now only 3 minutes and 30 secondes ! Elisabete Jacinto, with a broken suspension, had an eventful leg. Vincent Albira in the quads and Laurent Renault in Enduro Cup are steady and keep the lead in their respective category.
The stars lose their bearings…
Today one had to change pace without losing one's bearings. Changing from off-track, fast and windy trails, big plateaux, uphill, downhill, technical passages, corrugated iron, fesh-fesh and small dunes, the main element was the navigation. One had to accept to waste some time to gain some in the long run, and following the road book was the key to success… A Honda day : Da Costa gets the leg and Bethys the overall…
For David Frétigné and Michel Marchini, what seemed like a routine ended today! The two Yamaha riders had a black day. Navigation problems, turning and backtracking and the tab ran high : one hour wasted for Frétigné and Marchini. Thierry Bethys had been trying from the beginning to make his own trail and he finally trusted himself.
A successful poker move since he is now leading the rally, ahead of David Frétigné. Bruno Da Costa won the first leg of his career today. The two Honda riders definitely proved their point. Michel Marchini ends up 1h14 behind Bethys, same mistakes and same result as with Frétigné.
Too far in the ranking to worry the leaders, (5th e), Harite Gabari was also noticed when he won the scratch in the first lap. This fast and determined Moroccan rider is still surprising everyone.. Sébastien Coët (4th in this leg) and Michaël Pisano (5th ) are now 6th and 7th in the overall.
Also, Virginie Prémat's lovely performance for a first time on the African trails. A lot of motivation and strength for the young woman, 16th in the overall.
Schlesser insists and Novitskiy resists …
Once again Jean-Louis Schlesser played tag with leader of the overall Leonid Novitskiy. The scenario was identical to yesterday's, the Russian won the first lap and the Frenchman got a few more minutes in the second.
Same results for the overall but Jean-Louis Schlesser is getting closer. Two days from the end, the pressure is increasing… Ronan Chabot also suffered in this trying leg, and while experimenting with his shock absorbers, some too flexible settings made it a bit hard for him.
As for a number of competitors Régis Delahaye also got lost at the beginning. Flat tyres, ripped off inflating device and gardening did not prevent them from getting a third in the overall. Jean-Noël Julien stays 4th in the general after getting a bit hot, with a burning fan in the first lap. Etienne Smulevici tested the navigational skills of his new copilot, who did quite well.
Guillaume Balloy and his Bowler, 6th in the overall, got the 5th time in the second lap. Consistence and reliability on both machine and team. Elisabete Jacinto, unlucky, broke her suspension, and does not know if she will leave tomorrow . If the Portuguese woman does not find the part it will be the end of the rally for her, and Richard Bouey will be alone in the truck category.
Now you see me, now you don't!
It wasn't an SSV day… Frédéric Alard, broken suspension triangle yesterday 40km from the end of the second lap, was not luckier today. On the liaison, 5 km from the start, engine breakdown.
After searching for the cause of the problem, it turned out a wire was connected to the ground… no more luck for Samuel Lecomte and his Polaris, with a dying engine, Alain Fricker finally started this morning and a bit of heat within the team but everything was fine in the end.
Tomorrow it will be the fennec day, with a sand-colored trail and 202km leg.
Find all the information on www.npo.fr
Lydie ARPIZOU – Photos NPO
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