The ‘Bereber’ stage is the longest so far in the Merzouga Rally, although it was reduced to less than that which had been previously planned, putting the riders to the test. The two TEAM HRC riders, Hélder Rodrigues and Sam Sunderland, set out in first place this morning, opening the route, after finishing first and second respectively in yesterday’s stage.
Hélder made a slight navigational error early on and saw his team-mate Sam overtake him, thus opening the route for a section of the special in the dunes where the rider is particularly at ease on the Honda CRF450 RALLY. Nevertheless, Sunderland had problems with his road-book which gave his competitors a chance to regain some time. In spite of this setback, Sam was able to push hard and finish in second place, a position which moves him up to the top-spot on the overall leader-board. Hélder, sixth on the day, takes third place in the overall standings.
