With two stage wins and a third place in Stage 3, Yamaha rider Xavier DeSoultrait leads the Merzouga Rally at the end of Stage 3. A sand storm during the second half of the stage made things difficult for the riders. Sherco TVS rider Juan Pedrero is in fifth position overall, while Hero MotoSports rider C S Santosh retained 15th position. Joaquim Rodrigues of Hero MotoSports had to contend with bike troubles and finished on 16th position. Abdul Wahid Tanveer of TVS climbed up to 28th position overall, while team mate Aravind KP finished on 29th position.
The third stage of the Afriquia Merzouga Rally featured two loops of Erfoud - the bigger loop accounting for 112 km and an inner loop adding another 63 km to make up the total 175 km. The sand storm in the second half lasted only for 30 minutes, but was enough to reduce visibility and complicate matters for the riders and the organisers.
Joaquim Rodrigues in action at the Merzouga Rally 2017
Joaquim Rodrigues started the stage well, but a puncture in the bike's cooling system forced him to stop to fix the leaking coolant, making him lose time in the process. However, things got worse for him as he found himself caught in the middle of the sand storm, forcing him to stop in the middle of his run, while the other riders had already passed the finish line.
"I was feeling really good at the start of the stage and tried to catch the guys in front of me. But then my bike started losing water because of a puncture in the cooling system. I managed to finish the 1st loop somehow. The team fixed the issue and I started the 2nd loop well only to get caught in a big sand storm. I had to stop in the beginning as I couldn't see anything but then I started again, driving at a very slow speed of 5kmph to bring the bike home safely. It was really hard to navigate in the storm but in the end I am happy to be back safely," said JRod.
Aravind KP at the Afriquia Merzouga Rally 2017
The stage proved testing for Santosh as well, as he struggled with a malfunction in his roadbook equipment causing him a delay in finishing the 1st loop. The 2nd loop turned out to be much better for Santosh as he rode through the small dunes with ease until he too got caught in the storm just a few kilometres before the stage finish.
"Today was going to be a relatively short day with just 2 stages and a lot of navigation. I started the stage really well and I was able to catch the rider in front but then a malfunction happened in the remote that controls the road book and the echo to the odometer. It was a bad 1st part of the stage for me. Team fixed the issue at the stage break and 2nd loop was good for me until I got caught in the storm for the last 4 km or so. Overall I rode well today but lost some time. I am now looking forward to the marathon stage," said Santosh.
Sherco TVS rider Adrien Metge, who had to retire in Stage 2 due to a technical issue with his bike, finished in 62nd place at the end of Stage 3. Gerard Farres, riding a KTM, is in second place overall, followed by two Yamaha riders in third and fourth place overall, Franco Caimi and Alessandro Botturi.
