AMV Shamrock - Rally du Maroc 2008
27 September - Leg 6 "Dauphin". Finish!
Leonid Novitskiy and Oleg Tyupenkin - 2nd in the car overall!
Ronan Chabot - winner in T2 category!
26 September - Leg 5 "Fennec". They said...
Jean-Louis SCHLESSER - Buggy Schlesser - 1st in the cars overall
«The sand in the first lap was very soft. There were some incredibly head-spinning downhill parts. This special was very hard. We turned the pressure around now. Novitskiy can't make anymore mistakes now. In the second lap, the off-track hard turned into a track. We had a big storm in the dunes. For 20 km, the visibility was greatly reduced.. »
Leonid NOVITSKIY - BMW X3 - 2nd in the cars general
«We got stuck in the sand several times around the same place and wasted a lot of time. I have very little experience in this kind of terrain with this car and I made few mistakes..»
Ronan CHABOT - Toyota Land Cruiser - 3rd in the cars overall, 1st T2
«We left with completely deflated tired and never had a problem with the sand. On the rock we didn't want to stop to inflate them so we had to slow down to avoid a flat. Etienne Smulevici followed us for ¾ of the lap. This afternoon, trying to avoid a fallen down bikers we went out of the trajectory and blew a tire another good day, with 2h30 ahead of the 4th in the overall!»
26 September - Leg 5 "Fennec"
LEG 5 : « FENNEC »
Transfer : 39 km - Special : 202 km in two laps- Transfer : 39 km
SAND ALL OVER THE PLACE
AND BIG CHANGES FOR THE LEADERS!
So many new developments on this 5th leg of the AMV Shamrock-Rallye du Maroc 2008 ! This sand-colored day completely changed the rankings for the cars, bikes and quads. Jean-Louis Schlesser and his buggy imposed himself easily today with Leonid Novitskiy's BMW a prisoner of the dunes. For the bikes, Thierry Bethys hands over the lead to David Frétigné because of a mechanical accident this morning, which had him turn around, and a minor fall this afternoon. In the quads, Vincent Albira finished the first lap quite late with a broken chain and Climent Vicent takes the lead. Laurent Renault, leader of the Enduro Cup, keeps his position and is 9th in the overall. Now alone in the truck category with Elisabete Jacinto's withdrawal, Richard Bouey is on with his truck.
« Moving » sands...
Today was all about sand. From the start the competitors went through a large chott then a beautiful erg with golden dunes, but with extremely soft sand! Deflating the tires, boards, shovels and straps had to be taken out, some tough work under the sun.
Then a bit of rest with a fast track until a reg was reached, a mix between small and big rocks and dunes. This 4O km off-track required four major direction changes. Another chance to the navigators to « stroll around ». The going back up between the erg and the camel grass allow the riders and drivers to fully express themselves. But the rain came during the second lap and a violent storm burst above the dunes, offering the surrealistic view of a desert storm. Almost like the Enduro du Touquet, in Morocco !
David Frétigné up again...
Just as he was starting the first lap, Thierry Bethys was the victim of a stupid incident with a gas tube pinched against the body of his bike, and his bike was starting to "cough". The rider turned around nd headed for the service park but precious minutes were flying by and David Frétigné was racing already. Michel Marchini also made a navigation mistake and lost 8 minutes. Bruno Da Costa, winner of yesterday's leg, was opening the trail for the first time today. Joined by Frétigné, then Bethys at km 70, the two Honda riders crossed the line together. The second lap was not easy for Bethys either. As Frétigné was bettering his time of the morning, Thierry Bethys fell in front of Bruno Da Costa at km 30 and gave up any chance to make up for his delay, with a broken GPS. Michel Marchini got the second best time of the afternoon and stole a few minutes from Da Costa in the overall. 5th in the leg and 6th in the overall, Michael Pisano had some fun surfing in the dunes. Harite Gabari learned a lot about the subtleties of rallies today. With two falls this morning and one this afternoon, the Moroccan rider got a big scare, but came out unharmed. Sébastien Coët, 7th in the leg and 7th in the overall, enjoyed each moment of this before-last day.
Laurent Renault, leader in the Enduro Cup, keeps the lead in his category and improved his time by 15 minutes in the second lap (in front of his two opponents, Gary Ennis et Stephen Malone). Very happy with his performance and his 9th position in the general.
If nothing changed in the Enduro Cup, the quads were something different. Vincent Albira and his broken chain had a very trying day today. 15 km after starting, he had the unpleasant surprise to find out his spare chain was too long. Friendly competitors Boutet and Cornuaille brought him a third one in their buggy Trio. Unfortunately they got stuck 2km after starting and the delivery was far from quick. In the meantime, Jean-Louis Schlesser, going for his second lap, brought a fourth part, which was delivered at lightening speed, but the chain was once again too long! The Trio eventually made it and the chain was changed immediately but it just was an unlucky day for Vincent as his chain broke again and he had to finish the lap pulled by a press car. The French rider thus lost the lead and his spirits....
Novitskiy stuck in the sand, Schlesser leads the overall...
Leonid Novitskiy had little experience with dunes and realized that today on a very soft sand. In the first lap he lost 33 minutes on Jean-Louis Schlesser and saw the lead drive away from him. Several accidents in the sand allowed the blue buggy to take the lead. Ronan Chabot was steady once again and kept his third place in the overall and first in the T2. A beautiful performance for the MD Sport team, with Régis Delahaye 2nd in the first lap and Jean-Noël Julien 3rd in the second. Etienne Smulevici had a lot of fun in this terrain made for buggies and finished 4th in the Fennec leg. The Balloy-Becart team and their Bowler kept going, 6th in the overall.
Finally for the SSVs, Alain Fricker finished this sandy leg, seemingly made especially for his Drakart. With a broken intercom, navigator Pierre Antoniali had to resort to sign language to indicate the proper path. For the truck, Elisabete Jacinto reluctantly withdrew yesterday with some mechanical issue and Richard Bouey was free to roam.... Tomorrow, the last leg of this AMV Shamrock-Rallye du Maroc will feature a single lap. No mistakes allowed on a track which will be different for bikes and cars. The competitors will have to be worthy of the beach.
25 September - Leg 4 "Chacal". They said...
Leonid NOVITSKIY - BMW X3 - 1st in the cars general
« Two flat tyres today, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.... we're still ahead ion the general and we're waiting for Jean-Louis Schlesser to come and get us.»
Jean-Louis SCHLESSER - Buggy Schlesser - 2nd in the cars overall
«this morning we played tag with the Russians. He caught up with us on the plateau and we couldn't get rid of him. And we had a flat. Same as yesterday, after passing him, we followed him. But we were sneaky and we finally got rid of him. A bit more time and we are now 3'30'' behind»
25 September - Leg 4 "Chacal"
LEG 4 : « CHACAL » (jackal)
Transfer : 54 km - Special : 408 km in two laps- Transfer : 54 km
After a very difficult fourth day, with a lot of navigation, Thierry Bethys robs the bank and gets himself in the leading position of the AMV Shamrock-Rallye du Maroc, stealing one hour from David Frétigné, troubled by numerous navigation mistakes. It was a Honda day since Bruno da Costa won the leg and thus gets third in the overall. Harite Gabari keeps going and wins the scratch in the first lap. Michel Marchini also wasted a lot of time on this treasure hunt. For the cars, Schlesser kept on putting the Russians under pressure, and again stole a few more minutes today. The difference is now only 3 minutes and 30 secondes ! Elisabete Jacinto, with a broken suspension, had an eventful leg. Vincent Albira in the quads and Laurent Renault in Enduro Cup are steady and keep the lead in their respective category.
The stars lose their bearings...
Today one had to change pace without losing one's bearings. Changing from off-track, fast and windy trails, big plateaux, uphill, downhill, technical passages, corrugated iron, fesh-fesh and small dunes, the main element was the navigation. One had to accept to waste some time to gain some in the long run, and following the road book was the key to success...
A Honda day : Da Costa gets the leg and Bethys the overall...
For David Frétigné and Michel Marchini, what seemed like a routine ended today! The two Yamaha riders had a black day. Navigation problems, turning and backtracking and the tab ran high : one hour wasted for Frétigné and Marchini. Thierry Bethys had been trying from the beginning to make his own trail and he finally trusted himself. A successful poker move since he is now leading the rally, ahead of David Frétigné. Bruno Da Costa won the first leg of his career today. The two Honda riders definitely proved their point. Michel Marchini ends up 1h14 behind Bethys, same mistakes and same result as with Frétigné. Too far in the ranking to worry the leaders, (5th e), Harite Gabari was also noticed when he won the scratch in the first lap. This fast and determined Moroccan rider is still surprising everyone.. Sébastien Coët (4th in this leg) and Michaël Pisano (5th ) are now 6th and 7th in the overall.
Also, Virginie Prémat's lovely performance for a first time on the African trails. A lot of motivation and strength for the young woman, 16th in the overall.
Schlesser insists and Novitskiy resists ...
Once again Jean-Louis Schlesser played tag with leader of the overall Leonid Novitskiy.
The scenario was identical to yesterday's, the Russian won the first lap and the Frenchman got a few more minutes in the second. Same results for the overall but Jean-Louis Schlesser is getting closer. Two days from the end, the pressure is increasing... Ronan Chabot also suffered in this trying leg, and while experimenting with his shock absorbers, some too flexible settings made it a bit hard for him.
As for a number of competitors Régis Delahaye also got lost at the beginning. Flat tyres, ripped off inflating device and gardening did not prevent them from getting a third in the overall. Jean-Noël Julien stays 4th in the general after getting a bit hot, with a burning fan in the first lap. Etienne Smulevici tested the navigational skills of his new copilot, who did quite well. Guillaume Balloy and his Bowler, 6th in the overall, got the 5th time in the second lap. Consistence and reliability on both machine and team.
Elisabete Jacinto, unlucky, broke her suspension, and does not know if she will leave tomorrow . If the Portuguese woman does not find the part it will be the end of the rally for her, and Richard Bouey will be alone in the truck category.
Now you see me, now you don't!
It wasn't an SSV day... Frédéric Alard, broken suspension triangle yesterday 40km from the end of the second lap, was not luckier today. On the liaison, 5 km from the start, engine breakdown. After searching for the cause of the problem, it turned out a wire was connected to the ground... no more luck for Samuel Lecomte and his Polaris, with a dying engine, Alain Fricker finally started this morning and a bit of heat within the team but everything was fine in the end.
Tomorrow it will be the fennec day, with a sand-colored trail and 202km leg.
24 September - Leg 3 "Desert Rat". They said...
Leonid NOVITSKIY - BMW X3 - 1st in the cars overall
« I tried to catch up with Schlesser in the second lap and punctured two tyres, being too aggressive. But the car is running fine. »
Jean-Louis Schlesser - Buggy Schlesser - 2nd in the cars overall
«The special was nice, not as fast as yesterday's. The navigation and driving were varied. Since we made the trail in the first lap, in the off-track all Novitskiy had to do was to follow us, and that's where he got his advantage. One punctured back left tyre. On the second lap, still attacking hard, we got ahead and stole 7 minutes from him. The rest tomorrow. »
Ronan CHABOT - Toyota Land Cruiser - 3rd in the cars overall- 1st T2
« No particular difficulty. We left very quickly. This morning we opened the trail for Jean-Noël Julien who had a Tripmaster problem. We are still experimenting and worked specifically on the shock absorbers this morning. By fine-tuning them between the two laps, we collected some precious information. »
24 September - Leg 3 "Desert Rat"
LEG 3 : « GERBOISE » (DESERT RAT)
Transfer : 45 km - Special : 300 km in two laps - Transfer : 45 km
SCHLESSER ATTACK,
FRETIGNE KEEPS THE LEAD!
Third day for the AMV Shamrock-Rallye du Maroc 2008, under a bleak sun. A few rain drops fell towards the end of the second lap. For the bikes, David Frétigné keeps the lead of the overall, in front of Thierry Bethys, himself threatened by Michel Marchini, only 14 minutes behind the triple winner of the Enduro du Touquet. For the cars, Jean-Louis Schlesser made up in one lap for half of his handicap, and is now only 17 minutes behind Leonid Novitskiy. Ronan Chabot, third, should be safe from any come-back from Jean-Noël Julien, 2 hours behind the T2. For the quad, Vincent Albira is still the leader, as is Laurent Renault in the Enduro Cup. Frédéric Alard was the victim of a radiator leak but did otherwise very well and finished both laps on his SSV. To finish with, Elisabete Jacinto, so far comfortable in 4th position in the overall, had some mechanical troubles today, with broken engine mount and gearbox mount.
Well-avoided traps ...
At yesterday's briefing, Stéphane Clair had warned the competitors about the danger of some passages. The message got across and no one got tricked. The first 30 km were quite fast, then the competitors reached a beautiful chott. The track then became very technical and the riders and drivers had some fun, before they got to a complete off-track, lasting 40 kilometers. Alternating between fast zones and bad passages with the only constant a cap at 190. Great caution on the second lap to avoidr « the » mistake.
Frétigné still in control, Bethys keeps going and Marchini attacks...
David Frétigné, still in the lead in the bikes category, perfectly controlled his race today. Michel Marchini attacked hard on both laps and is making up for his penalty day after day. At 1h00m and 44 s behind Frétigné, without said penalty (a non-validated waypoint), Marchini would be right behind the leader. The leading trio is opening the trails for Bruno Da Costa, Frédéric Lepan (who had engine problems in the second lap), Sébastien Coët and Harite Gabari, the surprising Moroccan rider who has been steady and accurate since the beginning . For the Enduro Cup, Laurent Renault is still holding the fort and is getting used to the navigation instruments. Vincent Albira ahead of the other quads, but the young rider from Southern France suffered from a severe backache. However, his opponents Climent Vicent and Jean-Christophe Ménard are still way behind.
Schlesser lashes out...
For the cars, Jean-Louis Schlesser did not let go and Novitskiy's lead is disappearing day after day. If the « desert fox's » technique didn't pay off this morning, the Russian's confidence was shaken this afternoon, as he suffered from two punctured tyres.
Attacking in the second lap, Jean-Louis Schlesser made up for half of his handicap, and made the leader take risks to keep his lead, which led to two punctured tyres. Ronan Chabot was still tuning up his Land Cruiser . This day was spent on suspensions and by getting the 4th and 5th best time of the day he keeps his third place in the overall easily.
If Régis Delahaye got the third place on both laps, in the overall Jean-Noël get the fourth, left vacant by Elisabete Jacinto, victim of a broken engine mount and gearbox mount. Guillaume Balloy and his Bowler also made it in the top five.
Further down in the ranking, the beginners are learning about the Rally Raid the tough way, kilometer after kilometer. And studious students Jérémie Choiseau and Arnaud Boningue can vouch for this. After a nightmarish first day, they are gaining some confidence and finally getting some fun out of it.
The SSV's are still there... not the same ones on the track everyday, but present all the same! Today, Frédéric Alard, and his single seater Dazon finished the first lap in spite of a leaking radiator. At the service park he was kindly helped by Thierry Bethys' and Bruno Da Costa's mechanics and patched the leak. He then went on for the second lap with increased motivation. Samuel Lecomte and his Polaris, still having issues with troublesome cardans, only rode on 10 km on the first lap and 6 on the second. Not changing his mind, he is hoping to be back on the track tomorrow, alongside with Alain Fricker and his Drakart.
SAFETY :WHAT'S UP DOC?
For NPO, the subject of safety has always been treated professionally and rigorously. As on the Tunisian Rally, AMS, which provides the medical coverage on most raid rallies, works in collaboration with AMIS (the acronym means FRIENDS in French). Founded in 1993, AMIS (Assistance Médicale Inter Sports) is an thirty-person association, physicians, emergency caregivers and paramedics, and fulfils its assistance mission in a particular way. The medical personnel is indeed on motorbikes... These « knights » have been seen on a number of Enduro races, and have now appeared on the Rallye du Maroc. After Tunisia, where they were greatly appreciated, NPO has decided to renew this experience, reassuring for the competitors and especially the bikers.
One of the first ones, Jérôme Feuillade, emergency care specialist, defines his role as a « Sand Saint Bernard ». Jerome is no beginner in the field. A long time biker, he has even been a competitor in the Dakar, after eight editions in the medical car. Nine Dakars and three Tunisian Rallies made him quite knowledgeable in terms of trails...
« In a race we are obviously present to intervene as quickly as possible and to establish an emergency diagnosis. We transport emergency equipment in a 9kg bag. The goal is to go on the special, which of course requires a great deal of experience in riding and navigating. But our mission is also to help the late riders and drivers and to give them medical care and moral comfort. We can also motivate them when they are feeling down, telling them reassuring words. Coming from another rider, the message gets across more easily than with a « regular » physician. On each race we work in pairs, a physician and a nurse, or a physician and a paramedic. We also use this experience to develop protective gear for the bikers. We have designed the « Phlicstop » which protects the hands from blisters, and we are also working on a cervical necklace. On top of purely medical interventions, we also act as nannies, we take care of minds as well as bodies.... »
Tomorrow a lot on the menu with 408 km of timed section. Off-track, navigation, fast and windy tracks, big plateaux, uphill, downhill, technical passages, corrugated iron, fesh-fesh, small dunes to pass or circle... the full monty.
23 September - Leg 2 "Gazelles". The said...
Leonid NOVITSKIY - BMW X3 - 1st of the overall cars
« This rally is like a tennis game to me. I go for the ace on the first lap, and if that doesn't work I play it safe in the second one. That's what I did today.... »
Jean-Louis Schlesser - Buggy Schlesser - 2nd in the overall cars
« We attacked this morning to make up for our lateness, and we passed the Russians around km 80. But 10 km from the finish line, no more GPS... we tried to drive with the bikers but it proved impossible. We had to wait for Novitskiy for a good 10 minutes. This afternoon we passed the BMW again but then he followed us. He raced smartly. The car is running fine, no problems. I've always gone full speed and it's not going to change. »
Jean-Noël JULIEN - Buggy Mégane - 5th in the overall cars
« Except for a bit of trouble on the navigation instruments this morning, nothing special. A good day with some fun driving, an appreciating the trail. »
Régis DELAHAYE - Buggy MD Sport - 7th in the overall car
« No mechanical problems, no major navigation issues, only two small mistakes. We lack top speed. This afternoon one punctured tyres. This leg was ideal for buggies. »
Etienne SMULEVICI - Buggy SMG - 8th in the overall car
« Jean-Jacques (martinez) is getting more and more into it. He is very dedicated. The special was superb, with two nice downhill slopes. We finished this morning with a punctured tyre but this afternoon was fine. »
23 September - Leg 2 "Gazelles"
Transfer : 39 km - Special : 424 km in two laps- Transfer : 39 km
A HIGH SPEED LEG FOR THE COMPETITORS!
The second leg of the AMV Shamrock-Rallye du Maroc was done at super high speed. Fast track after fast track in a magical landscape, an ideal picture for the 2008 competitors. Jean-Louis Schlesser almost changed the overall classification in the first lap, arriving ten minutes before the Russians, but got tricked by his GPS ten km before arriving. In spite of that, the « desert fox » wins today's two laps, ahead of Leonid Novitskiy, who is still the leader. On the bikes David Frétigné and Michel Marchini share the win with one scratch each. Thierry Bethys, sneaking up from behind, gets the second place in the overall, behind Frétigné and in front of Bruno Da Costa, steady as a rock. On the quads Vincent Albira got far ahead of Spaniard Climent Vicent and Jean-Christophe Ménard. Alain Fricker and his SSV Drakart had quite a bit of fun, but repeated punctures ruined his performance.
The magic of the desert...
This second leg, very fast, was done at the speed of the gazelle in landscapes the likes of which can only be found in Africa.
Over more than 70 kilometers, off-track between dunes and camel grass, then a series of speedy tracks with a lot of direction changes. A few nice passages close to the dunes and a very trying finish. Fairy tales landscapes made the competitors truly appreciate today's leg.
David Frétigné et Michel Marchini have it easy...
Two lightning fast laps. Michel Marchini first this morning and David Frétigné this afternoon. Close to one another on the track, although the Corsican was too far behind to win today (because of yesterday's penalty). David Frétigné had a lot of fun and even rode for ten minutes at 143 km/h..., happy to go ahead, without a trail and enjoying the desert! Thierry Bethys was still continuing his day to day self teaching of the discipline. A lot of care and concentration for the rider from western France, aware he still has a lot to learn, especially on the navigation part. Bruno Da Costa, 3rd in the overall, had a bit of a fright this morning when he broke his exhaust pipe. Thanks to Thierry Bethys, who nicely gave him a spare part, he was able to do the second lap and to keep his place. After yesterday's troubles, Michaël Pisano went on and is now coming up slowly. Frédéric Lepan, 5th in the overall, is riding special after special and had some fun today. Too bad that losing his mudguard yesterday also lost him about fourty minutes. Hats down for Moroccan rider Harite Gabari, in the top ten since the beginning.
In the Enduro Cup, Laurent Renault got the lead whereas Irishman Gary Ennis and British Stephen Malone got in a fight and arrived with only 1 second between them in the overall!
For the quads, Vincent Albira distanced his opponents easily on both laps. The young Frenchman was on his first rally and is making quite an impression already.
No luck for Schlesser. Novitskiy stays steady...
On this morning's start, a very focused Jean-Louis Schlesser was getting ready to fight back. And almost won, ten minutes ahead of Russian Novitskiy. But, 10 km from the finish line, no more GPS... broken antenna and a black screen. Schlesser had to wait for the Russian (a victim of two punctured tyres) to get to the finish line without missing the waypoints. Jean-Louis lost what he had gained and still got the scratch at an average of 121,7 km/h, 30 seconds ahead. Everything had to be done again in the afternoon. However, it proved impossible for the « desert fox » to get rid of the Russian after passing him. Another three minute ahead, but not enough to worry Novitskiy in the overall. Behind the two bolids, Ronan Chabot and his Toyota T2 got his third place easily and without rushing.. Jean-Noël Julien had a trouble-free day. Nothing on the car, only a little issue with the navigation instruments. His teammate from the MD Rallye Sport Team, Régis Delahaye, got the third time in spite of a lack of top speeds. Etienne Smulevici's copilot is getting used to this type of navigation and the pair gets the 6th place in the leg.
In the trucks, Elisabete Jacinto, still 4th in the overall, also appreciated the quality of the trail and arrived 7th in a special made for the buggies.
Change of program for the SSVs...after the abandon yesterday of Richard Doux with Polaris and Frédéric Alard's troubles, Alain Fricker was the only one present this morning. A lot of fun for him today in his « grasshopper », as he calls it,. Only repeated punctured tyres on the rocky parts were a problem today, probably because of ill-adapted pneumatics. Alain Fricker won't be alone tomorrow since Frédéric Alard, with the help of Richard Doux, fixed his broken supension and will be able to compete, as will Samuel Lecomte on the last Polaris.
Tomorrow, watch out for traps and cold trails..., a 300 km special and some great memories to be had.
22 September - Etape 1 "Dromadaire". They said...
Leonid NOVITSKIY - BMW X3 - 1st in the overall, cars
« Except for the punctured tyre this morning, we didn't have any problems. This afternoon I was super careful, there was no way I would let the same thing happen twice. Navigation on the other hand wasn't a problem. I could go faster, but our main goal is to test the car. Nothing's sure with an opponent such as Jean-Louis Schlesser, the race has just begun. »
Jean-Louis Schlesser - Buggy Schlesser - 2nd in the overall, cars
« Four navigation mistakes this morning, but faultless this afternoon for Arnaud. I am the one who ran into trouble. We were on the right track, but I turned around for nothing. We're in the scratch this afternoon, and it's only the beginning. »
Ronan CHABOT - Toyota - 3rd i the overall and 1st in the T2
« Nothing to mention. We kept a good pace on both laps and haven't had a single problem with the car. A great first day.! »
Elisabete JACINTO - MAN - 4th in the overall and 1st in the truck category
« Navigation was really hard, same as for the others... We looked for the track several times. But we never had a problem to pass cars!!! Either they were slowed down, or lost... some passages were a bit narrow for a truck, but we still had a nice day. »
22 September - Leg 1 "Dramadaire"
HARE AND HOUNDS... ONE TRAIL EACH !
This first day, named « Dromadaire » has surprised more than one competitor, including the stars of the show, who have had a hard time on the 237 km of the timed section. Stéphane Clair had warned them that this warm-up would be a tough one, and tough it was. If Leonid Novitskiy did quite well on both laps, Jean Louis Schlesser ended up 17 mn and 13s behind the leader, followed by Ronand Chabot, over one hour behind. For the bikes, a hard fight between Michel Marchini and David Frétigné, but the Corsican might get a two-hour penalty for not validating one or two waypoints. Behind David Frétigné, second in the overall, Thierry Bethys and Bruno Da Costa third and fourth. Elysabete Jacinto, like a queen, gets her MAN truck in 4th position, after a faultless leg. The day's performance is for Richard Doux on his Polaris SSV, 11th in the first lap.
The lap with a thousand trails...
As announced, this warm-up was varied, a patchwork of all the terrains one can encounter in Morocco. The first 50 km, very technical, were a good introduction but it was mostly the constant changing of caps that was troublesome. For those who made it out safely, the 30 mn of refuelling were a real salvation before the second lap. But the numerous trails left by more unlucky competitors and the damaged terrain did not make the afternoon easier. To finish with, 46 competitors only could get on the second lap on time.
Tough day for the bikers...
On two wheels, big show for the alleged champions. Although David Frétigné and Michel Marchini on Yamahas stayed together the entire day, the rider from Ajaccio might get a two-hour penalty for not validating one or two waypoints. At the end of the second lap, the two men only had 3/10 of a second between them... This is how Thierry Bethys and his Honda get the good deal of the day with a third place, 16 minutes behind Michel Marchini. For this third participation in the Shamrock, Bruno Da Costa, even on his two laps, takes the fourth place. Behind Bruno, the differences are slight, and the rest of the rally will surely prove interesting. Hats down for Ken Wortman, coming all the way from Canada and who gets the 10th place, on his first rally.
On the quads, the Spaniard Climent Vicent takes the lead in his category with his Bombardier, but Vincent Albira is only three minutes behind. As for Jean-Christophe Ménard, after falling down a hole in the second lap, the quader found it had to get his machine back on track. A hard cookie, which sets him almost one hour behind Vicent.
Schlesser seeks and Novitskiy finds...
The first day of the AMV Shamrock-Rallye du Maroc had it share of surprises. Considerable differences have been made between the leaders and the rest and some competitors have had what you could call a long day.. it was mostly the navigation that was a problem and which confused some. Even the old-timers got tricked. For the newbies, panic was the word of the day.
The Novitskiy-Tyupenkin team, on the BMW X3 takes the lead for the cars in front of the Schlesser-Debron duo on Buggy. Chabot-Pillot, in their Toyota T2 were accurate enouh to avoid some regrettable « gardening »...
Leonid Novitskiy, imposing his fast pace, left Jean-Louis Schlesser 17 minutes behind him in the first lap. But the navigation errors of the morning did not prevent the Blue Buggy to get he best time of the afternoon. Impeccable Ronan Chabot takes the lead of the T2 category with a third in the general.
On the other hand, Etienne Smulevici, Regis Delahaye and Pascal Boutet had one hell of a day...left behind in the general, their chance for a podium has become slim. Guillaume Balloy and Jean-Noël Julien played it safe and will try to sneak up from behind.
In the truck category Elisabete Jacinto, after a blue-sky-day, had a perfect leg in her MAN truck.. first of the category in front of Bruno Bouey, the woman from Portugal takes the 4th place in the general.
Did you say SSV ?
They were looked forward to and they did make the show, especially the two Polaris, handled by Richard Doux and Samuel Lecomte. They ran into troubles before even getting into the timed section. On the liaison, the back cardan came loose on both vehicles, at the same time!!! Both SSVs came out unharmed, whereas Frédéric Alard and Alain Fricker also had some mechanical problems. Richard Doux still gets the 11th place in the general and Samuel Lecomte the 16th !
Tomorrow, more kilometers but a faster track which should please the speed addicts. Be careful however, going over large dunes is on the program and navigation could prove troublesome again...