In the aftermath of the Super Special, competitors of the first edition of the Baja Morocco started this morning on the first stage of a 192 kilometres special . An eventful leg dominated by the Italian Alessandro Zanotti (TM No. 101) in the Bike category and the Spaniard Oscar Romero (Polaris 143) in the quads.
The competitors of the Baja Morocco had the honour of opening the tracks, in part, used by the Teams of the OilLibia Rally of Morocco. A 192 km long stage that would be at once the scene of a spectacular rebound. Frenchman David Casteu (Yamaha 450 No. 102) was forced to withdraw after electrical problems even before the first control point. Rescued by his teammate Romain Souvignet (Yamaha 450 No. 105), the favourite of the race rallied the service area of Erfoud by road. A blow to his self-esteem that didn’t last long as decided to make the transition to the rally from Tuesday onwards ... The way was thus paved for the Italian Alessandro Zanotti (TM No. 101) who signs a resounding victory stage with more than 20 minutes ahead of the Frenchman Alain Meylieu (KTM 450 No. 112) and Laurent Legendre (KTM 450 No. 114).
Interviews bikes
Alessandro Zanotti(Ita / TM No. 101): "It was a great leg and I have not experienced any problems. I'm really sorry for David (Casteu) he was forced to abandon in these conditions. Tomorrow, I will be very attentive and most importantly, not making any mistakes ... "
Helder Rodrigues(Por / Honda CRF 450 Rally No 3): "Frankly, my goal today was to get the new bike to the finish without taking any risks. I rode a lot with Cyril (Despres). We got lost close to a village, and then I outrun him to the finish. The bike was perfect. I thank all the Honda team who worked hard on this project so that we could be at the start of the OiLibya Rally of Morocco. This first stage victory!¬ is already a reward ... "
Marc Coma(ESP / KTM 450 Factory No. 1): "We were immediately in the heart of the matter. This special was already quite a handful. I quickly gained confidence in the road book and I was able to up the pace. But i had to constantly monitor the heading because there were a lot of tracks that went in all directions. At the end I had to slow down because a stone damaged my rear brake disc ... "
Cyril Despres (Fra / KTM 450 Factory No. 2): "It is really fun to be her. I made a few navigational errors, including taking a track a little late and then towards the end, while Helder and I were catching with Marc, I chose the wrong track. It reminds me that navigation in Africa requires attention at all times ... "
Paulo Goncalves (Por / Husqvarna 450 Speedbrain No. 5): "I think I was not focused enough at the start. I made some mistakes. Beautiful itinerary in the dunes. It will go into overdrive to catch up tomorrow ... "
Olivier Pain(Fra / Yamaha 450 No. 9): "I'm quite happy with the first stage after a long period of convalescence. But there is one thing that annoys me a bit, is that today's rally, there are those who navigate and then those who follow and benefit from the work of others. We call them 'Velcros' ... "
Alain Duclos(Fra / Sherco 450 No. 21): "This is my first leg in rally riding the Sherco. Frankly, it's a nice surprise. The bike is fully suspended and very high level of control. This is particularly encouraging for the future ... "
Felipe Zanol(Bre / Honda CRF 450 Rally No. 11): "As I had imagined: the specials in South America are not comparable to Africa’s’. The terrain is totally different ... the navigation is much tougher. The focus should be constantly on the heading as the slightest mistake, however small, can have serious consequences.... "
David Frétigné(Fra / Yamaha 450 No. 12): "It was tough; gradually, without taking the slightest risk, ( for me nor for the machine) I will work my way up to the best level... "
Harite Gabari(Mar / Yamaha 450 No. 14): "I had a little trouble finding the pace at the start, because it is my only rally of the year. After navigation problems into the dunes, I broke the exhaust of the motorcycle. So I chose to ride slowly ... "
Bruno Da Costa(Fra / Yamaha 450 No. 19): "I have not experienced the slightest apprehension, after my terrible accident on the Dakar. Frankly, it's nice to relive it all, after all this time. All going well, I am very happy ... "
Communication NPO - www.npo.fr -