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news-2016-05-27Merzouga Rally

Kevin Benavides wins the Afriquia Merzouga Rally

The Bolivian Daniel Nosiglia is the winner of the Dakar Challenge. 

Clemens Eicker claims the win in the quad category, while Enrichy-Bersey impressed in the SSV Category.

SS5 “Afriquia” Erfoud – Erfoud 162 km Liaison 44 km – SS 74 km – Liaison 44 km

The finish of a rally is always a special moment and the podium of the Afriquia Merzouga Rally was no exception. The highlight was the prize giving ceremony with Said Elbaghdadi, the General Director of Afriquia, congratulating Kevin Benavides, the winner of the rally, Stefan Svitko, second and Adrien Van Beveren, third. But it was a strong emotional moments for all the competitors, from the first of the Pro rider to the last of the amateurs.

The “motocross style” start with one line of riders per category gave an extra boost of adrenaline to the fifth and final day of the rally: two loops of 37 km at the Yasmina dry lake for a 100% off road stage in the big dunes of Erg Chebbi and Erg Merzouga.

A second place in today’s stage, won by Adrien Van Beveren (Yamaha), was enough for the leader of the general standing, Kevin Benavides, to win the Afriquia Merzouga Rally, at his first race as HRC rider. With today’s victory, the Argentinian won also a free registration for the next Dakar.

Gerard Farres, fourth, put up a strong performance, followed by Helder Rodrigues, 5th, and Ricky Brabec, 6th. The seventh place of Jose Cornejo, confirmed that the 21 year old Chilean is one of the most promising guy of the New Dakar Generation together with Daniel Nosiglia, winner of the Dakar Challenge, and 8th overall. The 21 year old Bolivian fought hard with Joaquim Rodrigues (Hero) and Reis Gonçalo and finally gained his ticket to Dakar, winning the second free registration.

The Hero Motorsport Rally Team, at his debut on a rally, celebrated their two riders Joaquim Rodrigues (9th overall) and CS Santosh (16th) for their very good performance.

The winner of the Enduro Pro category was the Spanish Xavier Amo, in front of the Italian Giorgio Papa and the French John Comoglio. Abdelgnani Ouafi won the Expert Rally category (75% of the route) followed by Eduard Lopez. The first of the Expert category on an Enduro bike was Maurizio Littamé, followed by Walter Parisi.

Double podium in the quad category for the Memo Tours Team with Clemens Eicker, first, and Matyas Somfai, second, both on an E-ATV, while Zdenek Tuma (Yamaha) finished third. A superb performance for the Moroccan Ali Anaam, known as “El Cojo”, 5th overall. He was welcomed by family and friends gathered to celebrate their local hero. At their first rally in Africa, Suany Martinez and her father Leonardo kept high the Bolivian flag, finishing 13th and 14th overall. 15th Jose Luis Espinosa, known as “Caballero Negro”, while Josef Machacek finished the rally in 16th place. Mariusz Sipa won the Enduro Pro Quad category.

It was another exciting battle among the SSV. All the vehicles started together on one line and Checco Tonetti was the fastest of the stage, finishing first in front of the French crews Enricy- Bersey and Roustan – Pernot. In a rally, experience counts, and the winners of the general standing were the duo Enrichy – Bersey (AT4R) who didn’t miss an edition of the Merzouga. Gounon- Michel (Los Amigos) and Labille -Niveau (Motricity) took a very well deserved second and third place.

Waiting for the next edition of the Afriquia Merzouga Rally, Marc Coma commented that “this was a more difficult edition than what we expected because of the heat and the new WPC, that made the navigation more demanding. But I’m really happy because both amateurs and pro riders enjoyed the rally. There were many competitors in bike, quad and ssv at their first rally and it was a pleasure for me to support them with the workshops but also every time they needed an advice. It’s also a personal satisfaction”.

Riders’ quotes

Kevin Benavides (ARG): “It’s a great satisfaction to finish my first race with HRC with a win. It was a difficult rally but I enjoyed every moment. The key moment of the rally was the victory of the 4th stage. Today I had enough margin to manage the race without taking too many risks and here we are!”.

Clemens Eicker (GER): “It was my first rally and I’m really excited. It was great fun. I’d like to thank Memo Tours but also my wife who is supporting me”.

Enrichy – Bersey (FRA): “It was a very exciting stage. I hold the breath till the end for the machine also for my co-driver who was nervous. It’s a great satisfaction to have won another edition of the rally and we will come back next year. It was good fun and we enjoyed the battle”.

Daniel Nosiglia (BOL): “My goal was to learn and I’m really happy to have finished my first rally, winning also the Dakar Challenge. It was also the first time that I rode a rally bike so it’s a double satisfaction. The appointment for all my friends and supports at home is the Dakar 2017, when the caravan will stop in La Paz, my home town”.

Stefan Svitko (SVK): “I lost my race yesterday due to a mistake of navigation. I lost 6 minutes and today I couldn’t close the gap as it was a stage 100 per cent of dunes. It’s a pity, but races are like this”.

Adrien van Beveren (FRA): “It’s my first full rally raid season and a podium finish is really good. I’m 25 years old and I’m here to learn. It was a very good rally. The navigation was particularly difficult, it was physically demanding and every stage reserved some surprises”.

Alessandro Ruoso (ITA): “It was my first rally and I really enjoyed it. Day after day I improved in the navigation, but of course this is only the start. I come from the Motocross and the Bajas so I have to learn to combine navigation with speed”.

Pedro Oliveira (PRT): “I expected a much easier rally, on the contrary this is a “mini” Dakar. I enjoyed the spirit of the rally and the spectacular route. I have to congratulate the organization also for the medical and logistic aspects.”

CS Santosh (IND): “I’m happy because I learned a lot. I had no problems for the heat, while it was a new experience for me to ride in such an open desert. I’m proud to be part of this new project with Hero Motorcycles. This is just the start”.

David Thomas (ZAF): “It was an up and down race for me. I left 8th from the marathon bivouac, but the following stage I lost so much time because I didn’t change the CAP. Anyway it was a very good training for Dakar”.

Max Hunt (UK): “I got my ticket to Dakar! It was such a great race and I have been through very emotional moments. The highlight was the day of the marathon stage when we head to the High Atlas, a really impressive route”.

Martin Van den Brink (NLD): “I’m usually racing the Dakar on a truck (Mammoet Rally Team), so it was great to be here on a bike for my first participation to the Afriquia Merzouga Rally. I really enjoyed it. I liked the friendly atmosphere. In these 5 days we have covered all kind of terrains: sand, fesh fesh, rocky paths, fast tracks. I had a great fun.”

Ibrahim Alrubaian (KUW): “I started only a couple of years ago and I’m here to learn and train. In Kuwait we don’t have dunes so I really enjoyed the rally”.

SS5 Standing
Moto Pro Rally
1 Adrien Van Beveren
2 Kevin Benavides
3 Stefan Svitko
Moto Pro Enduro
1 Xavier Amo
2 Philippe Prunier
3 Giorgio Papa
Moto Expert rally
1 Eduard Lopez Arcos
2 Abdelgnan Ouafi
Dakar Challenge
1 Reis Gonçalo
2 Joaquim Rodrigues
3 Sebastian Bühler
Quad Rally
1 Simon Vitse
2 Clemens Eicker
3 Josef Machacek
Quad Enduro
1 Mariusz Sipa
SSV
1 Tonetti / Roman
2 Enricy / Bersey
3 Roustan / Pernot
General Standing
Moto Pro Rally
1 Kevin Benavides
2 Stefan Svitko
3 Adrien Van Beveren
Moto Pro Enduro
1 Xavier Amo
2 Giorgio Papa
3 John Comoglio
Moto Expert rally
1 Abdelgnani Ouafi
2 Eduard Lopez Arcos
Moto Expert Enduro
1 Maurizio Littamè
2 Valter Parisi
Dakar Challenge
1 Daniel Nosiglia
2 Joaquim Rodrigues
3 Reis Gonçalo
Quad Pro Rally
1 Clemens Eicker
2 Matyas Somfai
3 Zdenek Tuma
Quad Pro Enduro
1 Mariusz Sipa
SSV Rally
1 Enricy / Bersey
2 Gounon / Michel
3 Labille / Niveau
SSV Enduro
1 Roustan /Pernot
2 Abel / Carrilero Moliner
3 Girard / Abrantes

Merzouga Rally

Afriquia Merzouga Rally
Stage 4

Kevin Benavides on course for an overall win after an impressive domination of the Merzouga Rally stage four

Team HRC Argentinean Kevin Benavides scored an emphatic triumph in the fourth stage of the Afriquia Merzouga Rally – the second part of the marathon – that leaves him poised to seal overall victory tomorrow.

It was domination from start to finish for Kevin Benavides, who led throughout on the Honda CRF450 RALLY in today’s penultimate battle. After yesterday’s crucial win, Benavides was the first to set out this morning in a special stage that had been reduced by 34 kilometres, with the start moved to CP1. A total of 170 km, filled with troublesome navigation, played out for the most part, on speedy off-piste track, but with some work in the dunes too. The result sees Kevin Benavides jump two positions on the leaderboard where he now holds a 3’05 advantage over the nearest second-place rival with just one day to go. Tomorrow kicks off with a motocross-style start, followed by two laps of a 37 km circuit.

Benavides’ Team HRC companion, Ricky Brabec (U.S.A) turned out a solid performance chalking up a splendid fifth place. Today the Californian did far better with the navigation and pace in a far-from-easy while-knuckle stage. He maintains his 6th place in the overall.

Ricky BrabecRicky Brabec STAGE: 5th OVERALL: 6th

Today was really good; one of the fastest days here. Navigation was way better for me today – for each note on the roadbook you had a little bit of space. It gave you time to think about the note and what was coming up next. It was unlike the first three days, which were very difficult for me. This is by far the trickiest roadbook that I have done. I’m learning a little bit. Out here it seems like you have to go slow to go faster. You can’t just go fast because if so, you just blow the corner and then you just lose time each time you do it. Today was good. Tomorrow is a motocross start, so maybe tomorrow on the second lap around I will put some time up on some riders because I will know where everything is and it will be more like a practice run.

Kevin BenavidesKevin Benavides STAGE: 1st PROVISIONAL: 1st

Today has been the happiest of the race so far. Apart from the result, I’m really pleased because I opened the way and I finished first, without having any references out in front of me. It was difficult to navigate with a lot of off-road, many dangers and tracks that were impossible to find. I was able to mark a difference. I really believed in my chances; I was very focused and it all worked out well. Last night we slept in the high mountains for the marathon stage in a very distinct bivouac. I wish to thank Ricky Brabec who gave his exhaust pipe over to me, as mine was in bad shape. It has been great team-work. I’d also like to thank the whole team for the great job that they’ve done up until now. Let’s see how the stage tomorrow goes.

Roberto BoassoRoberto Boasso Team Manager

I’m happy because today Kevin had a great stage, in first place the whole way, opening the way from start to finish, navigating well and riding fast. This means that he’s more confident in his riding and even more so when you consider that the rivals were trying to catch him up from behind. He’s been cool and calculating. He was helped yesterday by Brabec, who we’d like to thank on behalf of the team. This says a lot about the team and how united we are. Today’s result is, in part, thanks to Brabec and all the mechanics who have helped them reach their goals. Tomorrow won’t be easy. We are calm about it but the race finishes at the chequered flag. Let’s hope it goes well. Thanks to everyone, to Kevin and Ricky and all of those following us throughout the world.

Results stage 4
1 Benavides Kevin ARG Team HRC 2:19'35  2 Farres Gerard SPA Himoinsa Team +6'18 3 Svitko Stefan SLO Slovnaft Team +6'48 4 Van Beveren Adrien FRA Yamaha Motor Europe +8'11 5 Brabec Ricky USA Team HRC +13'48 6 Rodrigues Helder POR Yamaha Motor Europe +14'59 7 Cornejo José CHI XRaids +16'11 8 Ruoso Alessandro ITA OffRoad Motors +31'02 9 Megre David POR Team Megre Portugal +31'45 10 Engel Milan CZE Moto Racing Group +34'14

Provisional Standings after Stage 4
1 Benavides Kevin ARG Team HRC 13:39:30 2 Svitko Stefan SLO Slovnaft Team +3'05 3 Van Beveren Adrien FRA Yamaha Motor Europe +11'36 4 Farres Gerard SPA Himoinsa Team +12'09 5 Rodrigues Helder POR Yamaha Motor Europe +12'53 6 Brabec Ricky USA Team HRC +50'56 7 Cornejo José CHI XRaids +1:15'46 8 Nosiglia Daniel BOL HT Husqvarna Rally Team +2:07'06 9 Rodrigues Joaquim POR Hero Motorsports Team Rally +2:45'24 10 Reis Gonçalo POR Team Sol Posto +3:01'56


Merzouga Rally

Afriquia Merzouga Rally: HRC rider Kevin Benavides claims the win of the SS3 in a hectic day

SS3 Merzouga – Atlas Bivouac Marathon 464 km Liaison 50 km SS 223 km Liaison 191 km

A “Dakar style” stage with technical navigation and varied terrains marked the first day of the marathon stage. After a liaison of 50 km, the competitors took the start of the 223 km long selective stage that alternated fast tracks to sandy off road passages before starting the climb to the Atlas Mountains, where they will spend the night in the marathon bivouac at almost 2.000 meters above the sea level.

Gerard Farres started first but due to the tough navigation, he was soon caught by Benavides, Svitko, Van Beveren and Helder Rodrigues. They all rode together till the end. After the arrival of the first 11 riders, the race was interrupted at the CP3 and some minutes later at the CP2 due to safety reasons. A very strong sandy storm and the fact that the two medical helicopters were busy in the rescue service didn’t guarantee the safety of the race, the first priority of the organisation. The remaining riders are still on their way to the bivouac in liaison.

Kevin Benavides (HRC) claimed the victory of the SS3 in front of Helder Rodrigues (Yamaha), second at +3’29, Stefan Svitko (KTM), third at + 6’42, Van Beveren (Yamaha) 4th at +9’ 59 and Gerard Farres (KTM) 5th at + 12’39. José Cornejo did another impressive performance (6th), while Ricky Brabec (7th) struggled more than the previous days due to the difficult navigation. The fastest rider of the Dakar challenge today was the South African David Thomas, 8th.

Kevin Benavides: “It was a stage characterized by difficult navigation and we mainly rode all together. After the CP2 I took the lead and opened the track. It was difficult but it was a very good training. I particularly enjoyed the stunning landscapes. The variety of the terrains with many sandy off road passages and rocky paths required a very technical riding and a precise navigation.”

Helder Rodrigues: “It was important to gain as many minutes as possible today because we are in the middle of the race. I had planned a race strategy that I couldn’t follow completely, but all in all I’m satisfied with today’s result”.

Adrien Van Beveren: “It was a tough stage! We started with the sand and we finished with the rocks at 2000 meters above the sea level. I live at the sea, so I enjoy the sand more than the rocks, but the climb on the Atlas Mountains was impressive. Today we met all kind of terrains so we had to adapt to the changes. This was very good because adaptation is the winning key in a rally”.

Gerard Farres: “It was a Dakar stage! I liked the spirit to give the priority to the off piste and the difficult navigation. We had to think and double check many times if we were on the right direction, we are racing in group, alternating each other in front and – as on the Dakar – the race strategy is crucial. It reminded me of the old times when Jordi Arcarons was racing the Dakar in Africa with the difference that the speed is higher. There are many riders and important manufacturers so the competition is high”.

Ricky Brabec: “Today there was a lot of navigation and I got lost many times and I couldn’t catch the guys at the front. I rode by myself almost the whole stage and it was difficult as it was mainly off piste and it was difficult to see the traces”.

Provisional results SS3

Bike Pro
1. Kevin Benavides
2. Helder Rodrigues
3. Stefan Svitko
Dakar Challenge
1. David Thomas
2.Reis Goncalo
3. Daniel Nosiglia

Merzouga Rally

Afriquia Merzouga Rally: Gerard Farres wins the SS2

Clemens Eicker claims the victory on his E-ATV while the French crew Labille-Niveau (Motricity) wins in the SSV category.

SS2 Merzouga – Merzouga 582 km

It was a demanding and long day: a total of 582 km with 2 selective stages and 85 km of neutralisation. The competitors took the start heading into the big dunes of Merzouga for the first 31 km of selective stage. It was a full immersion in the sand before tackling the second selective stage of 150 km of fast tracks over the plateau between Boudnib and Er Rachidia with some technical and hard enduro paths.

Stefan Svitko (KTM) opened the track for the whole stage, leading the way at the CP1, the CP3 till the finish line. He was already tasting the win, but in the end it was the Spanish rider of Himoinsa Racing Gerard Farres who started 6th and claimed todays’ victory by 1’18 on Van Beveren (Yamaha) and 1’33 on Svitko. The provisional standing sees Benavides (HRC) 4th and Rodrigues (Yamaha) 5th with the first top 5 riders all closed in 5 minutes after a 582 km long stage.

Among the most promising riders, to signal the 8th place of Jose Ignacio Cornejo (Suzuki), the 21 Chilean rider from Iquique, at Merzouga to improve the navigation and the technical riding, the performance of the Bolivian Daniel Nosiglia, 9th, the 11th position of the Portuguese Joaquim Rodrigues (Hero) while Arnold Brucy (KTM), son of Jean Brucy finished 20th.

The German Clemens Eicker put up a strong performance on board of his E-ATV, repeating yesterday’s great performance. He claimed the win in front of the Czech Kubiena (KTM), second at + 2’42 and Machacek (Yamaha) third at + 6’21. Simon Vitse and Ali Anaam completed the top 5. At his first rally, the Moroccan rider used all his experience and knowledge of the region to set an incredible 5th place. It was a pity for the Spanish rider Diego Ortega Gil of the Delfi Sport who crashed and heavily damaged his Yamaha. He hopes to be able to fix the quad and start tomorrow.

It was a hard fought battle in the ssv category with the top crews arriving very close. The French crew of Labille-Niveau of the Motricity Team (Polaris) claimed today’s win ahead of the duo Tonetti – Roman on a Yamaha at +1’10 and the French crew Pitout – Delaunay (XTreme Plus), third at 1’12. Enrichy – Bersey and Gounon – Michel complete the top 5. It was a very bad day for the Spanish team from Melilla Medero-Ventaja, who couldn’t finish the stage for a mechanical problem and Abel – Manez of Los Amigos, who struggled for the extreme heat.

Gerard Farres: “Crossing the dunes early in the morning was really nice and all in all it was a good stage. We changed completely landscape and terrain in the second selective section that featured difficult navigation and many changes of direction”.

Stefan Svitko: “I enjoyed a lot the dunes at the start. I opened the track and it was long and demanding, but in the end a very good training for Dakar”.

Adrien Van Beveren: “I’m satisfied. I had a good feeling with my Yamaha, which is a step forward compared to the one we used on the Dakar. I liked the dunes but also the fast tracks of the second selective stage”.

Jose Ignacio Cornejo: “Rally is a way to discover new countries and it’s great for me to have the chance to know this beautiful region of Morocco. I’m used at the dunes but I need to improve the navigation and the technical riding on the rocks and the fast tracks. Yesterday I made some navigation mistakes, but today it went much better, while I struggled in the last part of the 2nd stage when we had to climb down a rocky path. I’m riding to train for the Dakar. Last year we had to retire at the 5th stage so I’m getting ready to return stronger. It’s great to see many South American guys in the rallies and it’s promising that some of us have an official seat like Benavides in the HRC Rally Team and Quintanilla with Husqvarna. This gives me an extra boost”.

Joaquim Rodrigues: “I come from Motocross and Supercross and I have done also some Enduro and extreme Enduro, but rally raid is another world. Here more than speed counts managing the emotions and reading the road book. It’s really exciting. In addition, I’m proud to start this new adventure with an important project such as the Hero Motorcycles, teaming up with CS Santosh, a great guy and a star in India”.

Diego Ortega Gil: “We will try to fix my quad because it’s quiet damaged after the crash i had today. I’m ok, and this is the most important thing. This year the competition in quad is exciting and I hope we can take the start tomorrow”.

Labille – Niveau: “It was a perfect day. We enjoyed the dunes and the fast tracks and we were able to keep a good pace despite the extreme heat. We are really happy of this result”.

Pitout-Delaunay: “It’s a pleasure to ride when the machine works really well! We also did a good tyre choice, taking the start with the “Maxxis”, the hardest model of Mongrel. We are enjoying the rally!”

Marc Coma’s advice
Tomorrow the competitors will have to manage at the best their physical conditions and their vehicles because it’s a marathon stage. The workshop of Marc Coma’s focused on how to prepare a marathon stage, doing a check list of the fundamental things that the competitors have to bring with them. Do you want to know more? You need to come and attend Coma’s workshop!

Provisional Standing SS2

Moto Pro Rally
1 Gerard Farres
2 Adrien Van Beveren
3 Stefan Svitko
Quad Pro Rally
1 Clemens Eicker
2 Tomás Kubiena
3 Josef Machacek
Dakar challenge winner
Daniel Nosiglia
SSV
1 Labille – Niveau
2 Tonetti – Roman
3 Pitout – Delaunay

Merzouga Rally

Afriquia Merzouga Rally: Stefan Svitko wins the first stage

Eicker impresses in the quads with an E-ATV, while the Frenchman Henrichy Bersey was the fastest in the SSV category

SS1 Merzouga - Merzouga 241 km - Liaison 37 km SS 165 km

Experience counts and Stefan Svitko showed his navigation and riding skills in the first demanding stage of the Afriquia Merzouga Rally in front of Helder Rodrigues and Adrien Van Beveren.

The competitors took an early start this morning to tackle the first 241 km long stage that started in the big dunes of the Merzouga Erg, crossed the Erg Chebbi from south to north and continued on fast grounds before finishing in the dunes. Navigation was the key and the competitors had the opportunity to test a new type of way point, “the WPC ” (making the navigation more difficult), that they will find also on the Dakar 2017.

Svitko (KTM), who started 11th, made the difference in the dunes passing many riders and taking the lead.

Helder Rodrigues (Yamaha) finished second after having lost some time due to a navigation mistake in the beginning, followed by his teammate Adrien Van Beveren, third. Ricky Brabec (HRC) set a very good performance, 4th , together with Kevin Benavides (HRC) who broke the forward button of the road book roller at km2 and had to proceed manually for the whole stage.

In the quad category the fastest was Clemens Eicker (E-ATV), rider and owner of the E-ATV, the small German Manufacturer, who won the stage in front of Simon Vitse and Josef Machacek, both on Yamaha.

Started first, the duo Medero – Ventaja of the Delfi Sport opened the track and were doing a great performance when they suffered a puncture in the river bed after CP2 and lost some time to change the tyre. The provisional win goes to the French crew Henrichy- Bersey of AT4R.

Riders quotes

Stefan Svitko: “It was a short but good ride with many dunes, hors-piste and pretty tough navigation”.

Helder Rodrigues: “I was lost at the beginning and then I had to push to catch Farres and Svitko. Once I caught them, we rode together till the end. I tried to open the track as much as possible so that I could practice the navigation. The final part on the dunes was demanding because it was hard to see due to the sun”.

Gerard Farres: “It was a challenging start because of the navigation but I enjoyed a lot. I tested for the first time the new way point control, which is a good thing because it makes the stage even more navigated but it took me a bit to understand how it works and I stopped several times to check if I was doing correctly. I’m happy with my result because we are all very close”.

Clemens Eicker: “It’s my first rally with road book and it is a great satisfaction to finish on top of the quad category. We are here also to test the E-ATV that represents the new generation of quads for the Dakar. In total we are four riders with this machine: myself, Somfai, Van den Akker and Josè Luis Espinosa”.

Henrichy-Bersey: “It was a demanding stage to start but we enjoyed a lot. The navigation was tough but we were able to keep a good pace. The final part in the dunes was really difficult as it was hard to see. We also had an adventure when we jumped, rolled over the roof and landed on the wheels again so that we didn’t even stop!”.

Marc Coma’s advice

Today it was the turn of the rally preparation in terms of physical training, endurance test but also hydration, crucial on the desert but on every rally.

Provisional Standing SS1

Motorcycle Rally Pro
1 Stefan Svitko
2 Helder Rodrigues
3 Adrien Van Beveren

Quad Rally Pro
1 Clemens Eicker
2 Simon VITSE
3 Josef Machacek

Dakar Challenge
1 Michael Ott-Eulberg
2 Daniel Nosiglia
3 Joaquim Rodrigues
SSV
1 Frédéric Henricy / Eric Bersey
2 Juan Miguel Medero / Javier VENTAJA
3 Serge Gounon / Pierre-Henri Michel

Results, news, photos and videos at www.afriquiamerzougarally.com