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Alessandro Botturi wins the Merzouga Rally 2015 Nathan Rafferty wins the Expert class, while Henrichy- Bersey dominates the SSV category. Stage 5 – Liaison 43 km – SS5 75 km – Liaison 44 km Total 162 km Fifth and final day of the MR 2015, the competitors took this morning a spectacular start “Motocross style” of the GP of the Dunes: two rings of a 37,5 km ring in the famous Erg Chebbi. Adrien van Beveren (Yamaha) claimed his first stage win for the Pro category. The French did an excellent performance throughout the five stages. Vincent Dooley was the first of the Expert, while Diego Ortega Gil was the fastest quad. The crew Culus – Bonneadeau claimed today’s SS win in the SSV category. Regarding the overall classification, the winner of the Merzouga Rally 2015 is Alessandro Botturi. The Yamaha Racing rider took the start of the Grand Prix of the Dunes as the leader of the general standing. After an electrical issue he had in the liaison, the target of the Italian was just one: finishing the race and managing the 2.2 minutes advantage he had on Gerard Farres and 2’5 on Stefan Svitko. Alessandro Botturi did everything well and claimed the victory of the MR 2015 in front of Gerard Farres, second 0.57 seconds behind Botturi and Stefan Svitko, third at +1’.53. Olivier Pain (KTM) and Laia Sanz (KTM) were respectively 4th and 5th. The American Nathan Rafferty, who was leading the overall of the Expert category, confirmed his position. Second Christopher Braun, third Bruno Martins, 4° Vincent Dooley, 5° Brian McGirr. The podium of the quads is the following: Quad pro: Gil Ortega #69, Alejandro Feliu #43, Eduardo Marcos Echaniz #47 Quad Expert: Vincent Brochet #96 In the SSV category the win goes to the French crew Henrichy – Bersey (AT4R) that repeated the 2014 success. Second Abel – Manez (Los Amigos) and third the Spanish of Enjoy Quads Ibarz – Torne. Sport and Charity: The team Los Amigos is committed in humanitarian projects to support some ong organizations in the region of the MR. This year the donation went to the Wings for Life project. Alessandro Botturi (Yamaha Racing): “I’m really satisfied for this victory. This morning I had an issue in the liaison with an electrical cable and I had to fix it. I started a bit nervous but in the race everything went well. I had 2 minutes of advantage on Farres and 2.5 on Svitko so I did the first lap with them in order to manage the gap. I pushed too much on a dune and the engine switched off". " I lost some time but in the end I could make it. I’m really happy as we arrive from a good momentum. We raced the MR to test the new bike and I have a very good feeling, the engine is very good and also the chassis. It is a great satisfaction for the Yamaha Racing Team to win the Merzouga Rally. Regarding the Dakar I know that I don’t have the rhythm of Matthias Walkner or Juan Barreda but I’m just behind them so I’m confident and ready to face the big challenge”. Gerard Farres (KTM): “I will go to the Dakar this year with a new team, the Himoinsa Racing and it was great to race here as a final rehearsal”. Stefan Svitko (KTM): “I really liked the navigation here. It’s much harder than the Dakar. I was a bit disappointed to get 6’ penalty, which cost me the first place of the podium. In general it was a very good training for the Dakar”. Laia Sanz (KTM): “I really enjoyed the rally, in particular the last 2 stages. The SS4 was the best one for the navigation, that kept you focused for more than 200 km. I didn’t push in the first part of the rally as I was a bit tired from the Enduro race in France and the previous rally. It took me a while to change mentality from big tracks to navigated section and horse piste. It was a great training for the Dakar”. Carlos Checa: “The race is technical and the region is beautiful. I came year to enjoy the desert and the new discipline, without the pressure of the result and I really enjoyed the Merzouga Rally”. Nathan Rafferty: “This is my second Merzouga Rally and it’s a great satisfaction to win this race. Racing in this part of Africa is simply fantastic. A rally raid is also an extraordinary occasion to visit another country and to combine the passion, bikes and racing”. Diego Ortega Gil (Yamaha): “I return every year to experience the Grand Prix of the Dunes. Starting all together with the sound of the TV helicopter on our head is unforgettable”. Henrichy-Bersey (AT4R): “we really enjoyed the Merzouga Rally. It’s a technical race on a varied terrain. We took the start as the leader of the overall classification and we were able to manage the advantage on Los Amigos and Enjoy Quads. Our target was to repeat the success of last year and I can say “mission accomplished!” Check the general standings on http://live.merzougarally.com/provisional-general-standings/
Botturi wins stage 4. Svitko leads the overall Second win stage for Medero-Ventaja in the ssv Stage 4 Liaison 15 km SS4 216 km Liaison 35 km total 266 km After 387 km and a night spent in the bivouac in the middle of the desert without the support of the assistance teams, the second part of the Marathon stage took the start this morning for the longest special stage of the rally: 216 km in the Dayat Maider, a desert area that separates the regions of Merzouga and Zagora. Today sandy fast tracks and off-piste were on top of the menu. The Expert stopped after 90km at the CP2, while the Pro continued till the finish line located close to Rissani. The winner of stage 4 was the Yamaha factory rider Alessandro Botturi.
Always in the top 5 in the first 3 stages, the Italian did a great
performance and finished ahead of Gerard Farres and Laia Sanz. With Antoine
Meo withdrawing from the rally for a mechanical problem, Stefan Svitko leads
the overall classification, with Botturi second at less than 2 minutes. David Hernandez was the fastest of the Expert category in front of Valter Parisi and Maurizio Littame’. Among the quads Diego Ortega Gil shone. In the SSV category second win stage for Medero- Ventaja in front of Henrichy – Bersey and Ibarz – Torne. Tomorrow is the 5th and last day of the MR with the GP of the Dunes: two laps of a 45-km ring in the famous Erg Chebbi. Le Mans style start will be a show in the show of this spectacular stage. Alessandro Botturi (Yamaha): it was a perfect stage. I really enjoyed the sandy parts but also the fats tracks on the plateau. The feeling with the bike was really good and I’m really satisfied. Tomorrow we will need to push to recover on Svitko. The Le Mans start will be fun and it will look like a motocross race. I’m ready for it”. Antoine Meo (Meo): “I crashed just before the CP2 breaking the road book. I couldn’t continue without it and I didn’t want to take additional risks as I have to race in the last round of Assoluti d’Italia this Sunday, where I’m leading the championship. I really enjoyed the Merzouga Rally and it was important to gain more experience in preparation of the Dakar”. Medero – Ventaja (Delfi Sport): “It’s a great satisfaction to win two stages in a row. We struggled on stage1 and 2 but we are really”. Provisional Results SS4 Pro 1 14 BOTTURI Alessandro Yamaha 2 9 FARRES GUELL Gerard KTM 3 3 SANZ PLA-GIRIBERT Eulalia KTM 4 21 MONLEON HERNANDEZ Arm KTM 5 2 KLIMCIW Ondrej KTM PRRALLY Expert 1 75 HERNANDEZ-GARCIA David 2 94 PARISI Valter KTM 3 93 LITTAMÈ Maurizio Yamaha SSV 1 203 FIDEL MEDERO JUAN M. 2 201 HENRICY F - BERSEY E 3 208 IBARZ ALZURIA ROBERTO C Quad 1 69 ORTEGA GIL DIEGO Yamaha
Second stage win for Matthias Walkner AT4R Henrichy-Bersey claims today’s stage victory Relive the emotions of the Stage1 won by Sam Sunderland. VIDEO Stage 2 Liaison 22 km SS 163 km Liaison 40 km total 225 km After tasting the sand on the first race day, today’s stage was mainly on rocky fast terrains. After a short liaison on the legendary Dakar piste, a spectacular 500 meters uphill mountain path brought the competitors on the Boudnib tableland. The 163 km long SS was designed to test both the riders’ riding skills as well as their confidence on navigation. The KTM factory rider Sam Sunderland opened the track and it was not an easy job, considered that today’s stage was mainly horse-piste. The uphill climb was particularly demanding also for the Pro, with some riders like Alessandro Botturi, for example, who crashed but was able to re-join the race, without loosing too much time. The KTM factory riders continues their domination of the MR with Matthias Walkner claiming the win of stage 2, followed by teammate Sam Sunderland, winner of yesterday stage, and Antoine Meo. Alessandro Botturi finished 4th and first Yamaha factory. Stefan Svitko completed the top 5. In the SSV category the win goes to the French crew Henrichy – Bersey (AT4R) in front of Los Amigos Abel- Manez and the Italian experienced Dakar rider Tonetti – Dominella. As the winner stated, the key today was navigation and the crews that did less mistakes were the first to cross the finish line. The SSV machines had no problems on the rocky paths and they all enjoyed the stage. The MR is not only designed for Pro riders. A special attention is given also to all the amateurs that can challenge the desert with a series bike in the Rally Lite category. This is the story of Angel Leal, from Lleida, Spain. With several African Rallies under his belt, included the 2006 Lisboa-Dakar, Leal is testing the reliability of his Sherco 450 SEF bike on the Merzouga desert. Matthias Walkner (KTM): “The uphill climb was really trick. From zero to 100, right on the top of the hill! I was tired afterwards and decided not to push too much and focus on navigation. This strategy paid well. I made 3 navigation mistakes, but in the end it was ok. In general it was a difficult stage for navigation and the rocky paths”. Antoine Meo (KTM): “I’m used to rocky terrains, but it was not easy to find the best line on the steep uphill climb with our rally bikes. 2 kms after the climb I was not sure about the direction to follow but luckly Matthias (Walkner) arrived and we continued together till the end. Rally Raids is a different world compared to the Enduro. This is my third rally and I’m really enjoying this new adventure. Yesterday I was lucky to open the track on the dunes and this helped me a lot to gain more confidence with the navigation. It was a great experience. Today I could push more on the rocky paths, but the level of the front guys is really high. I’m still learning the navigation and this is a very good rally for this purpose”. Alessandro Botturi (Yamaha): “Rocky terrain is my speciality but I pushed too hard on the steep uphill and I crashed. Luckly I didn’t loose too much time. All in all it was a very good stage and I am happy with my result”. Laia Sanz (KTM): “Today i made a mistake on a note of the road book at km 19 and I lost some time. It’s a pity because I could have done a much better result”. Dany Philippaerts (Beta): “yesterday I had to switch the mind from the enduro to the Rally navigation. OI had to get used again and today I was more confident. I’m enjoying the rally. Angel Leal (Sherco): “I’m taking part in the MR with a Sherco 450 SEF in the rally lite category. It’s a series bike, I just added the navigation holder for the road book and did a complete check up of the suspensions. It’s a very good category to get closer to the rally discipline. I’m enjoying the rally and the different terrains. Henrichy – Bersey (AT4R): “Today the key was on the navigation so we slow down the speed and focused on the roadbook. we are happy with the result” Ibarz – Torne (Enjoy Quads): “It was a tough day but we enjoyed a lot. We slow down the speed on the rocky paths but we had no problems”. Medero – Ventaja (Delfi Sport): “Today it was a pity because we had an electrical problem in the liaison and we couldn’t take the start. Tomorrow we will rejoin the race, so follow nr 203”.
Sam Sunderland (KTM) wins the first stage of the Merzouga Rally 2015 Yeste-Cuadra (Enjoy quads) claims the victory of stage 1 The Stage: Liaison 27 km, SS 157 km, Liaison km 40 Total km 229 It was a very good day for the KTM Factory rider Sam Sunderland, winner of the MR 2013, who claimed the first stage of the Merzouga Rally in front of Stefan Svitko (KTM) and Gerard Farres (KTM). Alessandro Botturi (Yamaha) finished in 4th position, while Antoine Meo - the fastest rider of the Prologue - closed the top 5. Mathias Walkner was the first rider to take the start of the 157km long special stage. He rode with Antoine Meo and Laia Sanz for most part of the stage, before they made some navigation mistakes, allowing Sunderland and Svitko to catch up. Meo finally finished 5th, with Walkner 6th, Piatek 7th and Laia 8th. Bruno Martins was the fastest of the Expert category, followed by Emanuele Piva and Paolo Caprioni. In the SSV category the Spanish crew Yeste – Cuadra of Enjoy Quads wins the stage 1 with 5’ of advantage on the duo Abel-Manez (Los Amigos), Ibarz – Torne (enjoy quads) completes the provisional podium. The Stage.
The Merzouga Rally 2015 comes into action The sixth edition of the Merzouga Rally has officially started with the Prologue, 1 km long straight line track on the small dunes behind the Xaluca hotel in Erfoud, the head quarter of the Rally. Today, Monday 12, the MR 2015 comes into action with a first technical stage with the competitors crossing two of the three Ergs (mountains of sand) of the Merzouga Desert: the Ergs Chebbi and Snaguy. The start by the Oued Ziz will bring the riders south via a series of small dunes and a fast and sandy river bed. With Cap direction Erg Chebbi, the big mountains of dunes will be crossed from North to South, before tackling the Erg Snaguy. The route for the Expert finishes at the CP2, while the Pro will do the refuelling. The Scorpion Pass will lead the competitors to the Erg Chebbi that will be crossed on the west side till the Yasmina lake. After a path at controlled speed, the riders will challenge themselves on the desert stadium, a 2-km long “circuit” of dunes and natural jumps. Among the favourite there is the newly crowned 2015 FIM World Cross-Country Rally Champion Matthias Walkner. “This time there is no pressure for the results”, said the Red Bull KTM factory rider, “it will be great to focus on the navigation and ride on sandy terrains as final test for the Dakar. I really look forward to the race”. 2011 World SBK champion Carlos Checa is very motivated for the new challenge: “After many years racing at the maximum level in MotoGP and World SBK, I’m curious about this new discipline. There is always to learn. I have no pressure for results, I want to enjoy the desert and challenge myself with the navigation with road book”. |
