Sherco TVS Pedrero finishes 8th after Stage 2 of Afriquia Merzouga Rally

It was a steady day for Hero MotoSports Team Rally with Oriol Mena coming in 28^th and C S Santosh a little ahead at 25^th. They both showed a great temperament on a hot and tricky day to deliver a solid performance. Oriol started strong in the initial part of the stage and tackled the dunes and the navigation very well. In the later part of the stage he lost some time due to an electrical snag. C S Santosh, who was coming from behind, stopped over to help his teammate with a quick intervention that ensured that both the bikes reached the finish line safely. Santosh too had a good run in the dunes as he got into a nice rhythm.

Stage 2 Results

Pos         No.         Rider                                                                     Team

1              2              BENAVIDES KEVIN                                           HONDA

2              7              QUINTANILLA PABLO                                     HUSQVARNA

3              6              PRICE TOBY                                                         KTM

8              4              PEDRERO GARCIA JUAN                                SHERCO TVS

9              18           DUPLESSIS DIEGO MARTIN                          SHERCO TVS

10           36           SANTOLINO LORENZO                                   SHERCO TVS

24           31           COMINOTTO VANNI                                        SHERCO TVS

25           29           CS SANTOSH                                                      HERO

28           17           MENA ORIOL                                                      HERO

Overall Ranking

Pos         No.         Rider                                                                     Team

1              10           BARREDA BORT JOAN                                    HONDA

2              2              BENAVIDES KEVIN                                            HONDA

3              7              QUINTANILLA PABLO                                      HUSQVARNA

8              4              PEDRERO GARCIA JUAN                                 SHERCO TVS

9              36           SANTOLINO LORENZO                                    SHERCO TVS

10           18           DUPLESSIS DIEGO MARTIN                           SHERCO TVS

19           17           MENA ORIOL                                                      HERO

21           29           CS SANTOSH                                                      HERO

26           31           COMINOTTO VANNI                                       SHERCO TVS

After Stage One’s 206.71 km opener, the competitors tackled a 175.30 km stage with two lengthy loops crossing massive fields of dunes. The combination of heat (with the mercury hitting 30 °C), navigational challenges and soft sand demanded a laser-like focus from amateurs and pros alike. The winner of the prologue on Sunday, Kevin Benavides (Honda), won stage 2 in the motorbike category, as did Axel Dutrie (Yamaha) in the quad race and Casey Curie (Can-Am) in the S×S competition.

Although the Afriquia Merzouga Rally aims to be a race for amateurs to hone their skills in before signing up for the world's biggest rally raids, the rally held in southern Morocco is far from being a walk in the park, even for the pros. "The road books are really difficult, with up to four notes in just one kilometre", stresses American biker Ricky Brabec (Honda). "Making a mistake is easy, and this can cost you dearly in the general classification", adds Axel Dutrie (Yamaha), the winner of the quad stage.