After yesterday’s victory in Stage 2 of the South African Safari Rally, the duo Alexandre Pinto and Bernardo Oliveira faced a new setback today during the second part of the grueling marathon stage. They led for the first 150 kilometers of the 246-kilometer timed special in Stage 3 before encountering trouble. Despite this, the points gained in the World Championship standings from yesterday’s success allow the Old Friends Rally Team to comfortably maintain their lead as they aim to become world champions in the SSV category.
“We finished the third stage, which was the second day of this marathon leg. It was a long day on tracks that, despite the breathtaking landscapes, were extremely punishing on the mechanics. We had more issues today! A wheel bearing gave out, and we had to stop to replace it. We’ve dropped even further behind the leaders, but our direct competitors in the World Championship also ran into trouble, which helped level the playing field a bit. Tomorrow, we’ll stay focused on collecting as many points as possible for the championship,” said Alexandre Pinto, whose excellent pace was only halted by this mechanical mishap. The duo, driving a Can-Am, remains one of the few teams without any navigation penalties.
Tomorrow’s fourth stage of the South African Safari Rally will start and finish in Sun City, covering a total of 693 kilometers, with 224 kilometers being timed. A long liaison section of 470 kilometers will take up most of the day. The stage will begin on dirt roads and become narrower and rockier as it enters the mountains.
More information on the South African Safari Rally: https://sasafarirally.co.za/
Automatic / AI translation of the Portuguese version
Source: Old Friends Rally Team / A2 Comunicação
