Sherco TVS Factory Rally Team announces 4-rider squad for Merzouga Rally

B Selvaraj, Team Manager, TVS Racing, said, “It gives us immense pleasure to be a part of the ninth edition of the Merzouga rally. This rally is a good training ground for Dakar riders as it tests the limits of man and machine under challenging circumstances. Takeaways from such rally events are huge as it results in improving the teams’ technical capability and in the development of robust motorcycles. Merzouga Rally will offer a virtuous platform to evaluate the physical and technical strengths of the team and provides direction for our preparedness for the upcoming races. ”

The experienced Joan Pedrero will lead the Sherco TVS Rally Factory team in this event. Santolino Lorenzo will be participating for the first time in the Merzouga Rally. Lorenzo is a 7-time Spanish champion between Enduro and XC and has participated in OiLibya Rally , Morocco in 2017 and Desert Storm, India in 2018. Martin Duplessis and Vanni Cominotto will also be making their debut in the rally and their performance will be assessed by the team management.

David Casteu, Team Manager, Sherco TVS Factory Rally Team, said "Merzouga Rally is an important learning ground for us not only because it is part of the Dakar Series but also the sandy terrain here is similar to the ones the riders face at Dakar. There's a lot of roadbook navigation and riding in windy conditions which makes it interesting. After a solid performance at the Desert Storm in India, Santolino is raring to perform well here and has been training hard. Joan (Pedrero) brings all his experience to the team and will push himself to stay on top. This year we are also giving opportunity to two of our young riders Vanni Cominotto and Martin Duplessis. Our technical crew is also well prepared for the race with 4 Rally-bikes to be managed and we look forward to finish the Rally on a high note.”

Merzouga Rally, in its 3rd year under the Dakar Series label, commences on 15th April 2018 in the dunes of Morocco and culminates on the 20th April, 2018.  This will be the 9th edition of the Merzouga Rally and will consist of 5 stages in this year's edition.

Source: TVS