The Morocco Rally finished today with the final special stage in Erg Chebbi, where Ricky Brabec was able to finish the race.
Ricky Brabec finally got to take the start-line for the last special stage of the final round of this season’s FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship. The American rider has managed to finish all the races that he has competed in for Team HRC. In the final stage the Californian posted a tenth place finish.
Paulo Gonçalves and Kevin Benavides were both unable to take up the final challenge. Portuguese rider Gonçalves, who had led the race at one point, was forced to retire after dislocating his knee in the third stage. Benavides was likewise unable to start today in spite of having finished the penultimate stage. Yesterday’s fall had been such a heavy blow that he was advised for safety reasons to take a few days away from the bike. The young Argentine’s state had, however, improved considerably from yesterday as he stated that he would be back in training soon.
The technical team will now take an in-depth look at the machines which participated in the rally to try to determine which elements caused the issues which eventually left Team HRC without options for an overall win.
As the Morocco Rally closes so does the racing for the team this season. The next date for the squad will be the Rally Dakar, which sets off from Asunción, Paraguay, on 2nd January 2017 as the long season of rallies draws to a close for Team HRC.
