António Maio successfully completed the second stage of the Rallye du Maroc and climbed to 10th place among the Rally GP drivers. The day around Zagorá proved devastating for many drivers who were forced to abandon with serious crashes. At the controls of a Yamaha, the National Cross-Country Champion, entered in the Rally du Maroc by the Franco Sport Yamaha Racing Team, was forced to adjust his pace to the dangerous rocky road he encountered so as not to jeopardize his participation in this important World Championship event, the third he has competed in this season.
“I finished the second stage of the Rallye du Maroc. It was a very dangerous stage, perhaps the riskiest I’ve ever done. I caught a lot of fallen riders and, coincidentally, I was the first to reach two of them, which breaks the rhythm and messes with the psyche a bit. The first part of the stage was in an area of small dunes and then we did around 60km on hard dunes. Then we entered a track with lots of rocks and very dangerous paths. I had to adjust my pace to the sections so as not to risk anything and I was very focused on the roadbook. We did a 220 km stage and I was worried about the gas, but fortunately everything went well. I ended up doing a stage without any major problems and I’m happy with my performance,” said António Maio at the end of the 266km timed stage that ended in Zagora.
Tomorrow sees the third round of the Rallye du Maroc, which will comprise a total of 328km of timed stages and a 360km loop that will take the delegation to Mengoub, in Morocco
Automatic translation of the Portuguese version
