De keuringen in de Serres Rally 2017 vonden plaats op zaterdag. De omstandigheden zijn warm, deelnemers beginnen na de showstart op zondag aan een rally met in totaal vijf nieuwe proeven en een uitstapje naar Bulgarije. Onder de deelnemers twaalf Nederlanders. [widgetkit id=”195″ name=”Serres Rally 2017 – Keuring”]

Zondag a.s. gaat in het noorden van Griekenland de Serres Rally van start. Voor het eerst is Bulgarije in de route opgenomen met een bivak in de bergen van Belesitsa bij het plaatsje Petrich. De Serres Rally staat bekend als een echte enduro rally met technisch lastige routes en intensieve navigatie. Zoals gebruikelijk staat er mooi deelnemersveld aan de start met zo’n negentig deelnemers. De winnaar van vorig jaar, Stefan Svitko uit Slowakije, is ook weer van de partij, net als Ondrej Klymciw (Tjechië) die de rally in 2015 op zijn naam schreef.  In totaal staan er twaalf Nederlanders aan de start, waaronder Dakar 2019-deelnemer Paul Spierings. Meervoudig Nederlands kampioen enduro Wesley Pittens rijdt de Serres Rally ter voorbereiding op de Dakar van 2019. In de Hellas Rally van afgelopen mei scoorde hij een knappe 2e plaats. De winnaar van de Tuareg Rally 2017, Thorsten Kayser, is ook aanwezig.  Bekijk hieronder het overzicht van de routes per dag, en de lijst van deelnemers.  Overzicht 2017 route Overzicht deelnemers Serres Rally 2017 Al sinds 2012 doet Rallymaniacs verslag van de Serres Rally en zal zoals gebruikelijk de fotografie voor de deelnemers verzorgen. Hou de site of onze Facebookpagina in de gaten voor de dagelijkse updates! 

Monster Energy Honda Team set out to keep all options open and succeeded in the longest stage of the Atacama Rally. Kevin Benavides took the stage victory and overall leadership while Paulo Gonçalves will go into the final stage well-positioned to fight for a spot on the rostrum. Monster Energy Honda Team’s Argentinean rider Kevin Benavides took top honours for the second time in the 2017 Atacama Rally. The fastest stage was, once again, a white knuckle, hazard-filled ride at full gas. Kevin was head and shoulders above the rest of the field, storming to the top of the leader board in the overall rankings with just a day’s racing left. Team-mate Paulo Gonçalves set out from the camp in Mejillones this morning in second starting position. The Portuguese rider held a storming pace over the 375 kilometre trek to Iquique although he dropped precious time validating a waypoint in the latter stretches of the race. Paulo lies in fourth place overall. Kevin and Paulo will both be looking for podium finishes when the race wraps up tomorrow. The end results will be battled out in the final stage held entirely in the dunes of Copiapó. A review of the times last night moved Kevin Benavides to third place in the day’s standings instead of the fourth place initially awarded. 361 kilometres of coastal road separate Mejillones from Iquique, parallel to the Pacific Ocean, with the assistance vehicles taking Route 5 further inland. The fourth stage was the longest in the entire Atacama Rally 2017, with a total of 547.33 kilometres, of which 375 kilometres were against the clock in a very fast stage with long swathes of stony tracks and a final part in the sand dunes of Iquique. The start was again delayed for 1h05′ due to the appearance of the camanchaca mist which prevented the safety helicopter taking off. The final stretches of this fourth stage took place on the famous descent of the Iquique dunes, Los Verdes, which similarly had hosted a stage in the 2015 Dakar. The fifth and final stage will be held tomorrow in Iquique. The special stage will be a last chance for the favourites to confirm their positions and a final opportunity for the outsiders to improve their positions. Paulo Goncalves | STAGE: 4th  OVERALL: 4th  ”Today we had a long 375 kilometre special. The first 330 km were very fast and very dangerous tracks full of lots of potholes, loads of stones, but I think I did quite well. Pity that the last 50 kilometres were sand and dunes, because I made a navigation error that cost me some time. In the end, I was able to sort it out and I ended up in a good position in spite of what had happened. Tomorrow will be the last day and I will try to finish as best I can.” Kevin Benavides | STAGE: 1st OVERALL: 1st ”I won this fourth stage and it is my second victory so far in this Atacama Rally. Of the 375 kilometres of special, 300 were very, very dangerous but in the final 70 km we went into the dunes in Iquique, before ending up in this beautiful city. I felt great on the bike; I think I did things very well despite a slight navigation error on the final waypoint in the dunes, where I lost a bit of time. I am happy, because I am leader of the general standings with just a day to go. We will have to fight to the very end.”  

The halfway point of the Atacama Rally saw Monster Energy Honda Team’s Portuguese rider narrowly miss out on victory in a long, arduous and danger-filled special. Kevin Benavides, with the disadvantage of having to open the track, finished fourth. The participants of the Atacama Rally now find themselves in the heart of the world’s most arid desert. The third stage of the rally – from Tal Tal to Mejillones – produced fine performances from the two Monster Energy Honda Team riders, who vie for positions that could eventually lead to top overall results. If yesterday it was Kevin Benavides who won the stage, today Paulo Gonçalves took the turn to carry the torch, although it wasn’t a stage for taking excessive risks given the sheer speed of the track and the fact that some hazards were not too clearly marked in the roadbook. At the end of the day, the Portuguese rider astride the Honda CRF450 RALLY settled for runner-up spot some 3’30” adrift of the winner. Paulo’s team-mate, Argentinean Kevin Benavides, opened the way throughout most of the special, with the added difficulty of having to read the roadbook at breakneck speed without references on the track. Kevin finished third and tomorrow will be hoping to claw back any time dropped today. Tal Tal and Mejillones, two coastal towns on the Chilean Pacific hosted the third stage of the rally at a distance of 300 kilometres. A total of 487 kilometres (308 kilometres) of timed special stage were disputed on Wednesday. This third stage featured some sections that were used when the Dakar visited Chile in 2015. The riders had to overcome numerous hazards and very fast, rain-damaged track after the previous week’s downpours. Tomorrow the Atacama Rally sees the longest stage of the race: 547 kilometres from Mejillones to Iquique, with 375km of special against the clock. Paulo Goncalves | STAGE: 2nd  OVERALL: 4th  ”It was a fairly good but long stage of 350 kilometres with very difficult tracks, which we have already passed through once before in the 2015 Dakar. There were many dangers and I tried to go as fast as I could and I’m happy with the second place that I picked up. I felt pretty good with the hand injury and we will see what we can do tomorrow in another long and difficult stage.” Kevin Benavides | STAGE: 3rd  OVERALL: 2nd  ”It went well. I had to open the stage and I knew the rivals would eat into my time a bit. There were 350 very fast kilometres which were exceedingly dangerous, over the stretches of track we’d seen in the 2015 Dakar which were really broken up. I tried to go at a good speed and watch out for the dangers which when you open the track mean that you have to be far more attentive, which slows you down. I am happy and now we are going to prepare the stage tomorrow – there are still two days of hard racing ahead.” Stage 3 Results  pos Nation Time / Gap Quintanilla Pablo Husqvarna Factory Rally Team 2 POR +3’34 Benavides Kevin Monster Energy Honda Team 4 GBR +5’37 Walkner Matthias KTM Factory Racing Team 6 FRA  +8’25 Caimi Franco Yamaha Motor Europe +13’53  Van Beveren Adrien Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team  9 CHI  +21’33 Gouet Daniel Motorola pos Nation Time / Gap 1 CHI 7.20’23 2 ARG +4’48 3 GBR +11’52 4 POR +12’17 5 FRA +12’19 6 AUT +17’44 7 ARG Van Beveren Adrien Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team  Cornejo José Cornejo Rally Team Gouet Daniel Motorola

Putting in another solid performance, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Pablo Quintanilla posted the fastest time in today’s timed special to claim a hard-fought stage three victory at the Atacama Rally 2017. Further increasing his advantage at the top of the provisional overall standings, the FR 450 Rally mounted rider now enjoys a four-minute and 58 second lead with two stages to go.  Things couldn’t have gone any better for Pablo at this year’s Atacama Rally. Kicking off the event posting the fastest time in the short opening Prologue, he has now won two out of three stages so far contested in the Chilean countryside.  Demonstrating he is back up to full speed following his recent injury in Qatar, Pablo now has his eyes set on Atacama Rally victory. Tomorrow’s penultimate stage at this year’s event will take competitors from Mejillones to Iquique. Including a 375km-long timed special, stage four will be the longest of the Atacama Rally 2017.  Pablo Quintanilla: “I feel great at the moment, not just with my performance today but also with my bike and my pace in the race. We started a little bit late this morning, so we arrived late at the bivouac in Mejillones. The special stage was so fast today, and the course cut through some really bumpy areas. I tried to stay quick but also safe as some of the sections were quite dangerous. I am so happy with how the race is going, but also with my team because they have been great and working really hard. I can’t thank them enough for all their hard work. I can’t wait for the coming two stages.”   

Het 4WD Festival is in 2017 terug op de kalender van de autoliefhebber. En hoe! Na  vijf succesvolle edities staat Oss op 10 september wederom in het teken van alles dat 4×4 is. Diverse automerken tonen hun nieuwste modellen, er zijn rallyauto’s en Dakartrucks te zien en natuurlijk is er veel spektakel tijdens de diverse demonstratieritten. Geen off-road fan mag het 4WD Festival dan ook missen!  Dakar Belangrijk onderdeel van het 4WD Festival is het standhoudersdorp, waar van alles te vinden is op het gebied van off-road kleding, over off-road vakanties, voor het verfraaien van je 4×4, maar ook voor het serieuzere terreinrijden. Kopen kan, rijden natuurlijk ook! Tijdens het evenement is er ruimte voor 250 4×4’s, die op een uitdagend off-road parcours -onder begeleiding- aan de gang kunnen. Ook boeiend is het off-road race-/rally- en Dakar-kampement, waar race- en rallyteams laten zien, hoe bijzonder hun auto’s en hun wereld is.  Race-/rally/Dakar demo’s Liefhebbers die met hun eigen auto de baan op gaan, staan garant voor spektakel, het echte werk is te zien tijdens de demoritten van een gevarieerde groep race- en rallyauto’s en rallytrucks. Minstens zo spectaculair zal de demo van de ROAN 4×4 Warriors zijn. Dit zijn serieus geprepareerde 4×4’s, waarmee verschillende obstakels  onder druk van een tijdslimiet worden bedwongen. Om succesvol te zijn dienen de teams te beschikken over meer dan uitstekende voertuigbeheersing en vindingrijkheid. Muziek Uiteraard wordt het 4WD Festival voorzien van een gezellige en gemoedelijke muzikale ondersteuning en komt ook de inwendige mens door diverse cateringstands, sommige in 4×4-uitstraling, niks te kort. Kinderen zijn natuurlijk ook van harte welkom. Voor de kleintjes zijn er leuke uitdagingen bedacht, geheel in 4×4-sfeer.  Praktische informatie Het evenement aan de Aengelbertlaan in het Brabantse Oss start om 10.00 uur en eindigt om 16.00 uur. Een entreekaartje kost € 5,- per persoon. In de voorverkoop betaal je slechts € 4,50. Kinderen tot 12 jaar hebben gratis toegang. Wie met zijn 4×4 de off-road baan op wil, betaalt € 25,-. Deze Vrij Rijden kaart kost in de voorverkoop € 22,50, dat is inclusief een entreebewijs van vijf euro. Voor 4WD Magazine abonnees, maar ook voor leden van 4×4 clubs en overige tijdschriften, waarmee 4WD Magazine samenwerkt, zijn er speciale toegangsprijzen. Kopen kan via de ticketshop op www.4wdfestival.nl  

Yesterday, after the FIM Jury meeting, the bike and quad rankings were somewhat rearranged with a 6’ penalty for speeding going to Paulo Gonçalves (Honda) and 1’10 hours’ worth of penalties to Giovani Enrico (Yamaha), in quad…  Second stage: Copiapó – Taltal  Link section: 25 km – Special: 308 km – Link section: 49.63 km – Total: 328.63 km As they awoke this morning, the riders discovered Copiapó shrouded by the camanchaca, a local fog caused by the proximity of the Cordillera de los Andes, the desert and the Pacific Ocean. The second stage was therefore delayed as the helicopter was unable to fly, and it was midday when Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna), winner of the first Special, set out under a splendid sun Unfortunately, at km 43.8 km, his team mate Pela Renet (Husqvarna) crashed badly on a danger 2, breaking his left shoulder and hurting his neck. Daniel Gouet (KTM) and Laia Sanz (KTM) stopped to help him. They will obviously be credited with the time they spent with their injured comrade. The French rider was transported by helicopter to a private clinic in Copiapó. The race was stopped with a neutralisation at CP5, at km163, to ensure the riders’ safety while the helicopter was unavailable. Kevin Benavides (Honda) won the second selective sector in 1h39’25 with a lead of 17 seconds over Sam Sunderland (KTM) and 38 seconds over Franco Caimi (Yamaha): “I felt really good today”, said the young Benavides at the finish. “I quickly found a good pace and kept it all through the stage. At first, there was a lot of sand, valleys and navigation, up to km 70. After than it was much faster…. I wanted to get a good place, maybe not win, but I am very happy with this victory. There are three days to go and it will be a challenge to find the best possible strategy. I am really sorry about Pela and I hope he makes a speedy recovery.” Sam Sunderland (KTM) came in second followed by Franco Caimi (Yamaha) and Pablo Quintanilla, who is still top of the provisional leader board. “It was a good day for me”, said the Chilean. “I opened the trail and the navigation was tricky. I rode well and didn’t make any mistakes. The bike is running perfectly and I hope to keep my position as leader, but the hardest part of the rally is still to come. I am sad for Pela. He was riding really well and it’s always sad to know that the race has been stopped because a friend has gone down. I’m glad to hear he’s OK.” In quad, Ignacio Casale (Yamaha) pursued his winning streak, building up a provisional overall lead of 22’ over Kees Koolen (Yamaha) and 23’ over Peru’s Alexis Hernandez (Yamaha). Results Provisional standings of Special 2, motorcycles  1. Kevin Benavides (Honda) in 1h39’25  2. Sam Sunderland (KTM) at 0’17  3. Franco Caimi (Yamaha) at 0’38  4. Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) at 1’03  5. Xavier de Soultrait (Yamaha) at 1’39 Provisional overall standings, motorcycles  1. Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) in 4h03’40  2. Kevin Benavides (Honda) at 0’7  3. Xavier de Soultrait (Yamaha) at 3’54  4. Franco Caimi (Yamaha) at 6’12  5. Sam Sunderland (KTM) at 6’15 Provisional standings of Special 2, quads  1. Ignacio Casale (Yamaha) in 2h04’46  2. Kees Koolen (Yamaha) at 5’05  3. Rafal Sonik (Yamaha) at 9’40 Provisional overall standings, quad  1. Ignacio Casale (Yamaha) in 5h11’22  2. Kees Koolen (Yamaha) at 22’50  3. Rafal Sonik (Yamaha) at 23’10  

Continuing his strong run of form in this year’s Atacama Rally, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider Pablo Quintanilla secured a fourth-place result on stage two to maintain his lead in the rally’s provisional overall standings. Suffering a fall midway through the special stage, Pela Renet was unable to finish the day.  Remaining fast aboard his FR 450 Rally machine, Quintanilla made light work of the extremely challenging navigation in the first part of the special stage. Following Pela’s crash, race organisation decided to stop the stage at km 164. Reaching the neutralisation point in a time of one hour and 40 minutes, Quintanilla claimed a close fourth place result for the day.  As for Renet, the Frenchman entered the stage looking to improve on his navigation and speed in the desert. Frustratingly, the crash he suffered midway through the day will force him to sit out the rest of the event.  Wednesday’s stage three of the Atacama Rally will see competitors head towards the city of Mejillones further in the north of Chile. The second longest stage of the rally, stage three includes a total of 487km to be completed by all riders. The highlight of the day will be the 349km-long timed special.  Pablo Quintanilla: “I had a good day. The stage was quite difficult at the beginning, there was a lot of navigation. I think I did well and rode a good stage making virtually no mistakes. My feeling on the bike is great, and with the hardest part of the rally coming up, I hope to keep my place at the top. I am really sad for Pela, he was riding really well. It’s always tough to know the stage has been stopped when a friend has a crash, but luckily he is fine.”  Pela Renet: “It’s really disappointing that I will have to miss the rest of this rally. Everything was going well for me today until the crash. It happened midway through the stage and I immediately felt intense pain in my neck and my left shoulder. I had surgery on this shoulder back in 2015 so I was worrying it might be dislocated. Luckily I avoided any serious injury.”    Rider Team 1 ARG 1:39’25 Sunderland Sam KTM Factory Racing Team 3 ARG +0’38 Quintanilla Pablo Husqvarna Factory Rally Team 5 FRA +1’39 Goncalves Paulo Monster Energy Honda Team 7 AUT +2’28 Van Beveren Adrien Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team 9 CHI + 7’58  De Gavardo Tomás De Gavardo Team  Rider Standings | Provisional Standings after Stage 2 Pos Nation Time/Gap Quintanilla Pablo Husqvarna Factory Rally Team 2 ARG +0’07 de Soultrait Xavier Yamaha Motor Europe 4 ARG +6’12 Sunderland Sam KTM Factory Racing Team 6 POR +8’43 Walkner Matthias KTM Factory Racing Team 8 FRA +13’27 Cornejo José Cornejo Rally Team 10  CHI +1:24’11

The Atacama Rally left Copiapó bound for the north in a second stage affected by an accident involving French rider Pela Renet who had to be airlifted to safety by helicopter. For safety reasons the special stage was shortened to the neutralization zone, where the fastest competitor at that point had been Monster Energy Honda Team rider Kevin Benavides. The Argentinean rider thus reduces the gap with overall leader Quintanilla to just seven seconds. Paulo Gonçalves, who set off sixth after receiving a somewhat dubious penalization, also finished the day in sixth place as well as occupying the same place in the general standings. This second stage of the Atacama Rally linked the towns of Copiapó and Tal Tal, more than three hundred kilometres away in the north of Chile on the Pacific coast. There were 308 kilometres of special timed stage in which the pilots encountered a variety of terrain types, predominantly fast track, but with some dunes earlier in the day. The start was delayed an hour and a half by the appearance of the camanchaca, the early morning mist typical in these regions. Due to the accident of Pela Renet, only the first part of the special was completed, until the neutralization section at kilometre 164. Tomorrow the Atacama Rally will pass its half-way point: the third stage will take the riders from Tal Tal to another coastal area: Mejillones. It will feature some 349 kilometres of timed special before arriving at the check point in La Negra. Paulo Goncalves | STAGE: 6th  OVERALL: 6th  ”Today the stage was cut in half, but we had a quite interesting first part of 170 kilometres with some navigation and broken tracks, with quite a lot of stones. I lost two minutes to the winner, but I’m still in there, not far off. I’ll try to do it right and do the best I can each day and see if the penalty was really a roadbook error. Let’s keep moving on.” Kevin Benavides | STAGE: 1st  OVERALL: 2nd  “I felt really good today. I kept a good pace throughout the stage. At first, with sand, valleys and navigation until kilometre 70. Then, there were faster tracks. The idea today was to get a good position, maybe it was not the best thing to do to win, but I’m glad I got this victory. There are three days ahead and we are going to challenge the mathematics of it and keep up a good rhythm until Iquique. It’s a pity for Pela, I wish him a speedy recovery and a return to the track as soon as possible.” Stage 2 Results  Pos Nation Time/Gap Benavides Kevin Monster Energy Honda Team 2 GBR +0’17 Caimi Franco Yamaha Motor Europe 4 CHI +1’03 de Soultrait Xavier Yamaha Motor Europe Yamaha 6 POR +2’11 Walkner Matthias  KTM Factory Racing Team 8 FRA +4’20 Cornejo José Cornejo Rally Team 10  CHI +27’17   Rider Standings | Provisional Standings after Stage 2 Pos Nation Time/Gap Quintanilla Pablo Husqvarna Factory Rally Team 2 ARG +0’07 de Soultrait Xavier Yamaha Motor Europe 4 ARG +6’12 Sunderland Sam KTM Factory Racing Team 6 POR +8’43 Walkner Matthias KTM Factory Racing Team 8 FRA +13’27 Cornejo José Cornejo Rally Team 10  CHI +1:24’11    

Fast and consistent aboard his FR 450 Rally machine, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Pablo Quintanilla has secured victory in a challenging stage one of the Atacama Rally 2017. Reaching the finish of the stage without any issues the Chilean currently enjoys a lead of over one-minute at the top of the event’s provisional overall standings.  Following his impressive performance on Sunday, which saw him post the fastest time in the short Prologue, Pablo was determined to keep the momentum going into the first full day of racing in Chile. Taking advantage of his good starting position, he made a few passes to complete the special stage in a time of two hours and 23 minutes.  For Pablo’s Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team partner Pela Renet, the Frenchman took advantage of the difficult stage one to continue his rally apprenticeship aboard the FR 450 Rally machine. Spending the second half of the special stage racing alongside the top performers, Pela posted the 10th best time for the day.  Including a 308km-long timed special, stage two of the 2017 Atacama Rally will see competitors leave Copiapó as they head towards the city of Taltal. The total distance to be covered by riders on Tuesday is 379.93km.  Pablo Quintanilla: “Everything went according to plan today. It was a difficult stage with complicated navigation but I did my best for a good result. The stage was so tricky it was almost impossible to avoid mistakes. I stayed focused on my road-book, always trying to take the best decisions whenever I was in doubt. Overall, I’m really happy to get away with the stage victory. It’s been the first big test at this year’s Atacama Rally and for sure there’s going to be more days like that this week. My focus now is on tomorrow’s stage two now.”  Pela Renet: “I am happy with my performance today. It was difficult starting at the front because you have no tracks to follow and soon the riders behind can catch you. Navigation was difficult with no tracks, and there are a lot of hills and valleys in the dunes that can catch you out. It wasn’t too bad though because I was able to stay with the top riders after being caught, and so not only was my pace good over the stage, but I learned a lot from them too.” 

Overdrive Racing’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah moved one step closer to a third successive FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies title with a convincing start-to-finish victory in the Veszprém-based Hungarian Baja, round eight of the series. The Qatari and French co-driver Matthieu Baumel clinched victory on the Prologue stage on Friday evening and that paved the way for a dominant performance in their Toyota Hilux that saw them reach the podium finish with a winning margin of 3min 38sec over former WRC star Mikko Hirvonen of Finland. Al-Attiyah won four of the weekend’s five timed tests. It was the fourth win for Al-Attiyah in Hungary after previous successes in 2008, 2014 and 2015 and the sixth of the season in the FIA World Cup for Overdrive Racing after victories in Russia, Dubai, Qatar, Kazakhstan and Spain and a bonus victory for Christian Lavieille in China’s Taklimakan Rally.  “It was not an easy race at all. The conditions were difficult on Saturday and I did not want to take any risks,” said the Qatari. “Mikko was always close behind and I could never relax, but the win puts me in a strong position now to retain the FIA World Cup title.” Poland’s Aron Domzala and navigator Maciej Marton set the fastest time on the final stage – beating Al-Attiyah by just one second – and delivered a solid display in the second of the Overdrive Racing Toyotas to finish in sixth position, despite losing around five minutes with two flat tyres on the third stage. Overdrive Racing’s CEO Jean-Marc Fortin said: “It has been a very good weekend, perfect, with nothing happening to the cars at all. For Nasser, from the pre-rally test to the finish, it was a perfect weekend. We chose a good place to start the first stage after the Prologue. Opening the road today was not easy, but he managed. We were managing the eight tyres only as well. Mikko used his eight tyres yesterday, which was a mistake. So, this morning, we had fresh tyres and that made the difference. “For Aron, this was a mixed rally. There were some excellent times, a good Prologue but then he got two punctures on the same stage and lost the chance of the podium. To come back strongly this morning and to set the fastest time was a great way to finish, but it is frustrating that he has a small issue and he cannot achieve a top result. It will come, he is still young.” Al-Attiyah made the perfect start and a time of 7min 33.2sec through the 11.41km Prologue stage on Friday afternoon gave the Qatari the choice of a favourable starting position for Saturday’s opening selective section and an overnight lead of 8.8 seconds over Czech driver Martin Prokop. Domzala slotted into fifth place, sandwiched between Marcin Lukaszewski and fellow Pole Jakub Przygonski.  Al-Attiyah continued where he left off on Friday evening with the fastest time of 1hr 39min 19sec through the first of two runs in a 136.60km selective section on Saturday morning. It enabled the Qatari to extend his advantage over Mikko Hirvonen to 1min 14sec. Przygonski moved up to third and Domzala climbed a place to fourth. The slippery special featured numerous water splashes and muddy conditions after overnight heavy rain. In drying conditions, Al-Attiyah was 4min 13sec quicker on his second run through the stage than he had been in the morning and duly extended his advantage over Hirvonen to 1min 24sec at the overnight halt, despite admitting to driving with caution over the rutted tracks and through the muddy sections. Domzala dropped around five minutes to his closest rivals after collecting two punctures and returned to Veszprém in sixth overall, 2min 24sec off fifth place.  A shortened selective section of around 98 kilometres was repeated twice on Sunday. Al-Attiyah recorded his fourth successive quickest time in the opener by stopping the clocks in 1hr 01min and that enabled him to extend his lead to 3min 11sec heading into the final stage. Domzala tied to the second with Zimbabwe’s Conrad Rautenbach and consolidated his hold on sixth overall. There were no late dramas for either Al-Attiyah or Domzala (who had the fastest time on the last stage) and the duo reached the finish in Veszprém in first and sixth overall to cap another successful weekend for Overdrive Racing in the FIA World Cup.  

  Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Racing riders have made the best of a difficult Prologue stage at the 2017 Atacama Rally in Chile, where stage times were eventually cancelled due to navigation problems. Riders’ times will be used to determine their start positions for stage one on Monday. FIM Cross-Country Rallies Championship leader, Sam Sunderland, rode well on the fast prologue stage. Unfortunately, navigating proved difficult and the 2017 Dakar winner made a number of small but costly errors. Sunderland: “It’s always tricky here in Chile. The road-books are never perfect and you often find a lot of locals in the desert. Trying to follow tracks in the sand is difficult when there are locals driving around – it’s easy to get put off course. I missed one waypoint and had to turn back, which unfortunately cost me a couple of minutes. Eventually, with the times being scrapped, it meant those riders who returned soonest, despite missing check-points, would be placed higher. “It’s a long rally, so I just need to refocus for tomorrow and do the best I can.” Sunderland’s team-mate, Matthias Walkner, also found navigation difficult, especially due to the previous night’s rain and vehicle tracks in the desert. Walkner: “It was always going to be tough riding the prologue today. It’s such a short loop and in theory, the fastest riders should win. Today was more like flipping a coin. The route was incredibly difficult due to other vehicles using the desert for practice or just driving around. The weather meant the course was almost impossible to follow, too. I think the organisers made the correct decision in scrapping the times from today. Tomorrow we will start a fresh and I hope to do well.” KTM Rally Factory Racing’s Laia Sanz, enjoying her time back on the KTM 450 RALLY, rode a solid prologue in difficult conditions.  Sanz: “It was such a strange day today. I felt good on the bike and for me, this is all about preparation for the Dakar at the beginning of next year. I am happy with how I rode so I just want to focus on tomorrow now.” On Monday, the riders will head into Stage One, the first of the five full stages of the Atacama rally. The stage leaves Copiapó and heads north before circling through the desert and later heading back to the starting city.  

After passing through pre-race scrutineering complication-free, Monster Energy Honda Team are now poised to tackle the seventh edition of the Atacama Rally, beginning in Copiapó, with the duo Paulo Gonçalves and Kevin Benavides. The final day before the bikes go into action in the Chilean desert for the 2017 Atacama Rally, was a day of last minute preparations for the Monster Energy Honda Team; a final chance to set up the two Honda CRF450 RALLY bikes and get them through the technical and administrative checks – the day went without a hitch.  The rain has recently made its presence felt in the world’s most arid desert and could prove to be a decisive factor in some of the forthcoming five stages; however the forecast for now is sunny conditions.  This afternoon the race gets underway with a short, fourteen-kilometre prologue on the outskirts of Copiapó. As usual, a speedy start will be essential to guarantee a good overall position. Paulo Gonçalves and Kevin Benavides both arrive at the event highly-motivated and will be aspiring for top-position overall results by the time the Atacama Rally concludes next week.  Tomorrow sees the first full stage, a loop beginning and ending in Copiapó with a total of 272.47 kilometres with 226.18 of these against the clock.  Paulo Goncalves  ”I recently had a fall in which I suffered a dislocation in my hand and I’m not fully recovered yet. Yesterday we had the ‘shakedown’ and everything was in place, the bike’s running perfectly, so I hope that the race will go well. It is an important test because it will be good preparation for the Dakar. In the championship I am close to second place in the overall standings and although I would have preferred to come here without any problems, we will nevertheless do our best to finish ahead.” Kevin Benavides  ”I am very happy to be able to do a good season of training. I feel much better with the recovery of my hand, which is at almost 100%. I am excited to compete in another world championship event with Paulo. We have been able to test out the bike, and it’s working very well. The performance is superior and we are very excited about that. I am happy with the team and to be able to work with them. The complicated moments have passed and now there are three world championship dates where we will show the same passion and will as always. The Chilean desert is a great place, I often train here and I have to say it is very beautiful. It will be a tough yet interesting race, where we will have to pay special attention to the navigation and take care of ourselves physically. Also the terrain could be a factor because the recent rain will have left a few hazards. As I’ve already mentioned, I feel confident that I will have a good race.”  

While the desert is flourishing like never before, rain and cold weather are evident at the start of the third round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship. The Atacama Rally takes place exclusively in the desert of the same name, recognised as the driest desert in the world. Here, in Chile, climate change has seen temperatures in Copiapò no more than 13°C during the day’s administration and scrutineering checks….when the sun is shining. That said, these strange weather conditions have not stopped the riders from going to test in the immense Copiapò dunes. Pela Renet (Husqvarna) and Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) returned with a smile. “It is always a pleasure to do a tour of the desert on the motorcycle,” commented the Frenchman. “And, despite the wet sand, there was grip, which bodes well for tomorrow.” The best riders in the world are reunited for this third round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, but we also note with sadness the absence of two great champions who should have been present: Toby Price (KTM), whose fractured femur on the Dakar was complicated, and Antoine Meo (KTM), who injured his knee last week. So Sam Sunderland, Matthias Walkner and Laia Sanz will defend KTM colours, while, at Honda, we find the oldest but no less talented of the riders, Paulo Gonçalvez, and the Argentinean Kevin Benavides. We also welcome Yamaha France, which, for the first time, has registered its three rookies Xavier de Soultrait, Adrien Van Beveren and the Argentinean Franco Caimi.  Two British riders who reside in Dubai, David McBride and Dave Mabbs, have also made the trip to the Atacama Desert. Quads In quads, no less than eight riders are registered and seven in the FIM category, including Rafal Sonik, Ignacio Casale – who is preparing for the Dakar with Yamaha – Rodolfo Guillioli, Kees Koolen and Alexis Hernandez…Tomorrow, after the press conference and the riders’ briefing, the Prologue of 14km takes place at 15.00hrs in the Copiapò dunes, 20km from the service park situated in the parking area at the Antay Hotel. On Monday, there is a long 226km loop solely in the dunes and sand that the competitors will tackle before leaving the mining town and heading north….  

The Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Racing Team have travelled to Chile in South America to battle for victory at the third round of the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship. Series leader, Sam Sunderland will be heading the charge, along with team-mate Matthias Walkner. Top female Dakar rider Laia Sanz is also back, competing aboard her KTM 450 RALLY. Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Racing’s Sam Sunderland hasn’t put a foot wrong this season. Following on from his winning result at the 2017 Dakar Rally, wins in Abu Dhabi and Qatar have cemented his position at the top of the world rankings. The British rider currently leads the championship by 21 points. Sunderland is looking to carry his impressive form into the Atacama Rally. Fully rested after the summer break, he is confident of a good result. Sunderland: “I’m feeling strong and fit so I’m looking forward to having a good race here in Chile. My bike is working really well and I’m hoping to continue my good form from the start of the season. It’s a perfect event to prepare for the Dakar – the team has worked really hard to get here and it’s always good to race in South America, in order to get used to the terrain. “There is going to be some tough competition from the other teams and the local riders. It’s five very hard days riding,  but I’m up for the fight.” Sunderland’s teammate Matthias Walkner is also looking to do well at the Atacama Rally. Walkner lies fourth in the championship, just one-point behind second placed Pablo Quintanilla. Walkner, who finished the 2017 Dakar as runner-up to Sunderland, is focused on climbing up the world championship rankings and has his sights set on a good result in Chile. Walkner: “It’s cool to be back in race mode after the summer break. Preparation has been pretty good over the last few months, but I am ready now to get racing again. I really enjoy riding in South America, I love the different terrain we ride here. Hopefully, the road book will be ok and we’ll have a good event. There are a lot of other good riders here, and Sam is very motivated, but I’m going to be going for the podium.” KTM Factory Racing’s Laia Sanz is also fired up for the Atacama Rally. After spending the first half of the year riding enduro, the Spaniard is now starting her preparation for the Dakar in January. Jumping aboard her KTM 450 RALLY just one week ago, the world’s best female Dakar rider will use the Atacama Rally to reacquaint herself with rally riding. Sanz: “It’s nice to be back on the rally bike and it’s always nice to ride here in Chile. This is my first rally race this year since Dakar, so the bike still feels a little unfamiliar. My goal here is to put in some distance on the bike, practice navigation and try to get my rhythm back. It’s never easy after such a long break, but I will ride my best.” The Atacama Rally is a predominantly desert based rally held in the north of the Chile, starting in the dunes of the Atacama region. A 14km Prologue kicks off the event on Sunday 13th August before the main event starts on Monday with the first of five full days covering 1900km, over 1400 of which are special stages.  

From 10 to 13 August, Hungary is organising the third round of the 2017 FIM Cross Country Rallies Bajas World Cup in Veszprém, a magnificent little historic town full of old world charm. Built on five hills, it has a hundred listed Baroque buildings, and its narrow streets, bridges and historical mills make it a popular centre for culture and tourism. Just 17 km from Lake Balaton, Veszprém is the largest town in the Bakony Forest. For four days, Veszprém will be the centre of the HunGarian Baja with the administrative and technical verifications taking place on Thursday followed by a press conference in the Town Hall and a starting ceremony in Óváros Square in the heart of the old town. On Friday afternoon, a 11.4 km Super Special will be organised to determine the starting order for the first selective section. The course includes some spectacular jumps that the riders – and the public – will certainly give the respect they are due. The assistance paddock is located at an airport, Szentkirályszabadja, and the organisers have gone to great pains to create a convivial atmosphere. On Saturday, the riders will strike out for two 136.60 km loops and on Sunday they will cover two loops over 103.20 km. Altogether, 54 riders will take part in this HunGarian Baja: 6 motorcycles and 7 quads in the FIM categories, 6 motorcycles and 5 quads in the European Bajas Championship and 30 riders in Enduro XL.  
Among the FIM motorcycle riders are Alessandro Ruoso (KTM), Stefan Svitko (KTM) and Adrien Maré (KTM) while Arnaldo Martins (Suzuki), Pawel Samek (Suzuki) and Jaroslaw Kalinowski will be defending their colours in quad.

Zo’n 95.000 bezoekers kwamen afgelopen weekend naar het TT Circuit in Assen om te genieten van de races en het overige spektakel tijdens het grootste auto-, motor- en kartraces-evenement van Europa.Foto’s: Peter Notenboom Fotografie Grootste publiekstrekker was ongetwijfeld de komst van het Renault Formula One Team. De aanwezigheid van Formule 1 coureur Nico Hülkenberg op zondag zorgde voor veel enthousiaste reacties. Voor de motorsportliefhebbers was de aanwezigheid van WK Superbike coureur Michael van der Mark ongetwijfeld een belangrijke reden om naar Assen af te reizen. De Rotterdammer won onlangs voor de tweede keer in successie de prestigieuze 8 Uren van Suzuka. Uitgebreid raceprogramma Naast de demonstraties was ook het raceprogramma dit jaar weer uitstekend verzorgd. Zo werden er drie Yamaha motorraces verreden, de YZF-R125 Cup, de Yamaha YZF-R3 Cup en de Yamaha YZF-R6-Dunlop-Cup. Yamaha is sinds 2012 officieel motorpartner van de GAMMA Racing Day en is naast de komst van wereldtopper Van der Mark tevens verantwoordelijk voor een primeur in de wereld van het motorracen. Nooit eerder werden er op één dag drie op elkaar aansluitende en vergelijkbare wegraceklassen van één merk verreden. Dakarbivak Ook buiten de baan was er een uitgebreid en aantrekkelijk programma samengesteld. Zo was op het binnenterrein een heus ‘Dakar bivak’ ingericht met het Team Petronas De Rooy IVECO, Mammoet Rallysport, Van Velsen Rallysport, het Rainbow Truckteam, het Rally Team van “de Groot Fresh Group en het Maxxis Dakar Team van de broers Coronel. Motorrijders Maikel Verkade, Jurgen van den Goorbergh, Mirjam Pol en Dakar 2018 debutant Paul Spierings waren ook van de partij. In een ‘Dakarparade’ werd er een rondje op het circuit gereden. Erik van Loon kwam nog in actie met zijn spectaculaire Ferrari F1 auto. 

  Qatar’s defending FIA World Cup champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Poland’s talented young driver Aron Domzala will represent Overdrive Racing in this weekend’s Veszprém-based Hungarian Baja, round eight of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies. Al-Attiyah arrives in Central Europe with a commanding lead in this year’s championship after claiming victories in Dubai, Qatar, Kazakhstan and Spain with his French co-driver Matthieu Baumel and Overdrive’s all-conquering V8-engined Toyota Hilux. The Qatari has won the Hungarian Baja on three occasions (2008, 2014 and 2015) and gave Overdrive Racing its first and only victory in 2014. But Toyotas prepared by the Belgian team have graced the podium in three of the last four seasons: Venezuela’s Nunzio Coffaro finished third in 2013 and Dutchman Bernhard Ten Brinke was runner-up in 2015. Poland’s Aron Domzala lost ground on his fellow FIA World Cup title contenders after incurring a time penalty following a tyre fire in Spain and the Pole and navigator Maciej Marton finished out of the points in 12th position. But Domzala is keen to hit back on the Hungarian round of the series and still has his eye on a top three championship finish. Overdrive Racing’s CEO Jean-Marc Fortin said: “This is another important Baa round of the FIA World Cup in Europe and one that is important to both Nasser and Aron for different reasons. Victory for Nasser would put him into a very strong position to regain his FIA World Cup title and Aron is keen to bounce back with a podium finish.” The event is being staged by the Garzone Racing Organisation Pronotion Limited in conjunction with the FIA and the National Automobilsport Federation of Hungary (MNASZ).  After technical scrutineering and administration on Thursday, the event gets underway with a ceremonial start in Óváros Square in Veszprém on Friday evening after crews have tackled a shakedown stage earlier in the day and a short 11.41km super special stage from 6pm. The second leg on Saturday (August 12) consists of two selective sections of 136.6km apiece, starting at 08.30hrs and 13.20hrs respectively. Two further timed stages of 103.2km take place on Sunday from 08.10hrs and 12.10hrs to bring the competitive action to a conclusion. The event will be centred around the nearby BudaWest airport.

Since his switch from bikes to four wheels before the Dakar 2016, Jakub Przygonski scored his first victory. Together with navigator Tom Colsoul he won the 24th edition of the Italian Baja riding a Mini All4 Racing.  Acciona Dakar After the Acciona Dakar Team wrote history by finishing the Dakar for the first time in a 100% emission free vehicle, again a great achievement was scored by finishing 11th in the Italian Baja. With the experienced Andrea Mayer behind the wheel and Emma Clair as navigator. After the Dakar the team continued working on improvements to the car, and has shown good results are possible with climate neutral vehicles. Final result  Baja Italia  2017: 1. J. Przygonski (POL) / T. Colsoul (BEL) MINI ALL4 Racing – 5h 41m 21s 2. M. Zapletal (CZE) / M. Sykora (SLO) Ford – 5h 57m 33s  3. M. Abu Issa (QAT) / X. Panseri (FRA) MINI ALL4 Racing – 6h 12m 44s

Organisator NPO heeft bekend gemaakt dat de tiende editie van de Oilibya Rally van start zal gaan in Koningsstad Fes. De finish is in Erfoud, op 10 oktober.  De deelnemers wacht een warm welkom in Fes. Een historische stad waar een groot sportcomplex plek zal bieden aan de technische keuringen en alle servicevoertuigen. Niet ver van Fes gaat de rally van start met een korte ‘Superstage’, waarna de rally zuidwaarts koerst richting Erfoud.  Honda Monster Energy Team Veel grote teams doen mee in Marokko. Het fabrieksteam van Honda met rijders Paulo Goncalves, Ricky Brabec en Kevin Benavides heeft al bevestigd erbij te zijn. e Oilibya Rally is de laatste race in het Cross-Country Wereldkampioenschap, en een belangrijke laatste test in aanloop naar de Dakar van 2018.  Beleef de Oilibya Rally van dichtbij!  GPT Rally is natuurlijk uw partner als het gaat om het boeken van hotels en vluchten. Maar er zijn ook VIP pakketten verkrijgbaar, waarbij sponsoren en relaties de rally op een unieke manier van dichtbij mee kunnen maken! Meer weten? Informeer bij GPT Rally naar de mogelijkheden.

KM TOT 249,00 – PS1 70,73 – PS2 68,09 First half of the Marathon stage leads the competitors to the bivouac set up in a sacred place. Mena Valdearcos wins in the category of bikes, Souday in control of quads, De Seynes/Liparoti crew commands the SSVs Total distance: 249,00km.  – PS1 70,73 – PS2 68,09 The first part of the Marathon stage brought the competitors in the magical Sa Itria, where the rally caravan has literally fallen into the time machine. The bivouac was set up in the area of the famous Sa Itria Sanctuary, where a church dedicated to the Virgin of Itria and mysterious megalithic ruins demonstrate that the region was inhabited since very distant times. For the night this place will serve as sanctuary for riders and drivers … without assistance. Under the patronage of Menhir, so-called “Perda de sa Itria”, the competitors will spend a well-deserved chill-out evening. Bikes, quads and SSVs will rest in a crowded parc-fermé. The third day of the rally is in fact the midway point of the first Marathon stage. At the end of the 249 km long stage between Arborea and Sa Itria the competitors were sent to a separate bivouac and left without support from their teams until they will be reunited at the end of the stage 4. As one of the fundamental parts of rally-raid, the Marathon stage lasts for two consecutive days. As the first and the second one, also the third stage was cut by 2 special stages of 70,73 and 68,09 km respectively. The track manager Dario Del Vecchio explains:_”Since the Italian TT Rally-Raid Championship is joining the rally today, I thought to spice up the competition. The first special is very fast as it uses the WRC and tyre-testing tracks in Monte Grighine. The second special is more navigated, very technical, trickier, and finishes with a steep down-hill. The first part of the stage will be ideal playground for the SSVs, while the second part will be extremely challenging for all 4-wheels vehicles. Another interesting point of the first part of the Marathon is the altitude – the race scales from 0 to 1400 m of altitude to finish then at around 800 metres.” Mena Valdearcos, Souday, De Seynes – heroes of the day In the battle of bikes Oriol Mena Valdearcos won the first part of the Marathon stage, while Jacopo Cerutti, winner of both special stages, hurt his hand after the second special and got reached by the helicopter. The medical team sewed his hand right at the spot and afterwards the 28-years-old returned to the bivouac by himself. Arrived late at the finish line, Cerutti got 38 minutes of penalty, slipping eventually to the 5th place overall. Alessandro Botturi, who finished the stage in second, became the new leader of the overall classification and is currently leading also the Italian Raid TT, in front of Maurizio Gerini and Mirko Pavan. Maurizio Gerini finished the stage in third place. We can also call it bad luck, but Andrea Mancini , unofficial leader of the second special stage, made a mistake in the very last last piece of his extremely fast stage and was penalized, finishing the day in fourth. Reaching the finish-line Andrea said: “I am quite happy with my today’s performance, but also angry with myself for the mistake I made in the last part of the second special stage. That’s where I lost the today’s stage.” There have been no changes in the category of quads – Sebastien Souday won the stage and still tops the overall classification, while the second and the third place are still occupied by Rafal Sonik and Kamil Wisniewski. In was a great and very fun day for the pioneers of the SSV category, with the French crew De Seynes/Liparoti dominating the stage and the overall classification, still followed by fearless Italian crew Ercolani/Politino. And now, an unusually hot day in Sardinian wilderness is about to turn into a magical evening with a great Sardinian feast to celebrate the race, racing spirit, friendship and life. _”Besides being a great sport event, this is also a great opportunity for the promotion of Sardinia. As non-competitor I can’t say much about the race itself, but the riders told me that the terrain here is unique, when compared to other races around the world. Even if this year we don’t have the biggest names competing, I am thrilled to see these young guys battling for seconds.”_ commented the Race Director Tullio Casti. “Once you pass the Sardegna rally school, you fear nothing more,” added Camelia Liparoti.  STAGE 3 UNOFFICIAL RESULTS 1. Oriol Mena (SPA) Honda 2h34.17.742. Alessandro Botturi (ITA) Yamaha 2h34.36.153. Maurizio Gerini (ITA) Husqvarna 2h36.11.144. Andrea Mancini (ITA) Beta 2h36.21.525. Mirko Pavan (ITA) 2h38.16.796. Cristian Espana Munoz (SPA) KTM 2h38.44.807. Luigi Martelozzo (ITA) Husqvarna 2h42.58.818. Omar Chiatti (ITA) Yamaha 2h44.13.739. Fausto Vignola (ITA) Husqvarna 2h46.17.4210. Alessandro Cavicchi (ITA) Husqvarna 2h49.23.98

Cerutti still in control of bikes, De Souday fastest in quads, De Seynes/Liparoti leading the SSV category. Stage 2: High tension loop Arborea – Arborea Total distance 212,0Km  PS1 74,23 – PS2 55,84 On the second day of racing in the wilderness of stunning Sardinia some of the steepest up-hills and down-hills of the planet Enduro challenged the 44 fearless competitors from 8 nations. In the loop stage starting and finishing in Arborea the riders had to engage all their skill and experience to the maximum as the pace and surface changed constantly. Today’s stage was actually much shorter compared to the first one, but shorter doesn’t mean always easier. “However, the shorter stage means that you will can actually jump into the pool after a very dusty stage,” said Antonello Chiara , one of the rally organizers, at yesterday’s briefing. “I am not scared to admit that initially I felt a bit disappointed by the fact that many factory teams didn’t join us this year. Yesterday I changed my mind. I witnessed to the tough fight between the competitors and evidently this year Sardegna Rally Race attracted many enduro and rally-raid stars of the future. I am truly amazed by performances of Oriol Mena, Jacopo Cerutti, Maurizio Gerini, Andrea Mancini, Mirko Pavan … I wish I could list them all! I am also truly happy that we managed to introduce the the Side by Side category this year. I’ve been always thinking that Sardegna is a perfect place to do that.” added Antonello Chiara Stage 2: facts and quotes A total of 212 km was cut by two special stages (of 74,23 and 55,84 km respectively) for riders and quad riders, while the SSVs only faced the first speed test of the day. The stage was caracterized by pure blood enduro racing, steep up-hills, tricky down-hills, flying rocks and a healthy dose of navigation. In the category of bikes Jacopo Cerutti extended his overall lead by 4 minutes. A 28-year old rider dominated also in the first special and, at this point of the race, confidently tops the classification. “The stage was quite tough, high temperatures and heat, but fortunately all went well, even if I made a minor mistake at the end of the second stage,” said the happy winner. The second-placed rider of the first leg Oriol Mena Valdearcos did a minor navigational error and slipped down the slope, but still managed to finish in fourth. Alessando Botturi , winner of the Sardegna Rally race 2014, won the second special stage, helped Oriol Mena out of troubles and ended the day in second. The third man of the day is Andrea Mancini , finishing the stage in third place, while for the 3rd of the first leg, Maurizio Gerini, is out of competition due to a mechanical failure. It was quite a day for Sebastien Souday , the fastest of the quads, followed by Rafal Sonik and Kamil Wisniewski. Reaching the finish line after a very demanding stage, Rafal Sonik commented: “The first special stage today was pretty pleasant, because the UTVs were going together with us, so we knew that the track would be a little wider, at least enough for the quad. For the second special stage I knew instantly that it would be very tough, very tricky and very narrow, as the UTVs didn’t go. It’s very challenging race but that’s Sardinia Rally Race!” The French team De Seynes/Liparoti took over command of the SSV category, as Enrico Ercolani and Paolo Politino , after some adventures with the first two wheels and a flat tyre, stands in second place. OVERALL STAGE 2 (unofficial)  1. Jacopo Cerutti (ITA) Husqvarna 2h35.55.50 4. Alessandro Botturi (ITA) Yamaha 2h37.37.85 5. Andrea Mancini (ITA) Beta 2h42.11.27 2. Oriol Mena (SPA) Honda 2h45.32.68 9. Cristian Espana Munoz (SPA) KTM 2h47.11.37 6. Omar Chiatti (ITA) Yamaha 2h49.02.36 7. Mirko Pavan (ITA) 2h49.56.58 8. Luigi Martelozzo (ITA) Husqvarna 2h51.01.60 9. Txomin Arana (SPA) Yamaha 2h51.37.55 10. Fausto Vignola (ITA) Husqvarna 2h52.04.72

It’s the final countdown – the breathtaking island is hosting the 10th edition of the legendary Goldentyre Sardegna Rally Race as the Grande Baia Resort & Spa has just turned into the race headquarters with a paddock early this morning. Action in the six day event will get underway with the Prologue in Beruillas on Saturday, June 10, at 5 pm. This year’s edition is even a bit glamorous, as the rally celebrates its tenth birthday. Tough and challenging as always, the Sardegna Rally Race is also one of the most enjoyable rallies. “When I was travelling around the globe – sometimes also to race – I realized something important: there was no place like Sardegna in the whole world! Competing in a rally is the best way to see the hidden aspects of any place, so imagine to find them in Sardegna, where the nature is really incredible. If you ride on the top of Gennargentu, you will see the sea from every side. Amazing! I still remember how I felt when I got there for the first time in my life – my thoughts were primitive, I felt part of the mother Nature,” said Antonello Chiara, one of the rally organizers together with Gianrenzo Bazzu. Among the stars on show will be Alessandro Botturi, 5-times Dakar contestant and multiple Italian Enduro and TT champion, Jacopo Cerutti, two-times Rally Dakar contestant and a rising star of Italian Rally and Enduro racing, Maurizio Gerini and Mirko Pavan, just to mention a few. The foreign line-up is formed by a reining world champion Rafal Sonik in quad category, his fellow countryman Kamil Wisniewski, French quad rider Sebastien Souday, Japanese rider Sukenobu Tetsunori and last but not least there are also strong Spaniards Oriol Mena and Txomin Arana. A special challenge will face the six SSVs on the entry list (Side by Side Vehicles), with lady rider Camelia Liparotti on board of a Yamaha YXZ 1000R, this time as navigator to Eric De Seynes, head of Yamaha Motor Europe. On Sunday, June 11, the first of the five legs will take the competitors on a 1300 km long adventure towards Arborea.