The first special stage of the South African round of the World Rally-Raid Championship on Tuesday (20th) proved to competitors that this won’t be an easy ride. On a grueling day over previously unexplored terrain, Brazilian driver Lucas Moraes secured a solid sixth-place finish alongside his co-driver Armand Monleon.
The rally is being held in the South African savanna, based out of the Sun City resort. After Monday’s prologue, Moraes started fourth on Tuesday’s 260 km special, which featured sandy trails, savanna roads, rocky paths, and the region’s signature “black turf,” a dark, unique soil type.
New for some, home turf for others – A unique feature of this stage was the presence of four teams of marshals on motorcycles deployed to open the route. Each team, named Zulu, was responsible for a quarter of the course, tasked with ensuring all farm gates were open and alerting local wildlife of the approaching race vehicles. This procedure will continue throughout the event.
While competitors in other rallies this season have had prior knowledge of the terrain, the South African Safari Rally has leveled the playing field. The unfamiliar landscape created an atmosphere of parity among the top names in the championship, such as Nasser Al-Attiyah, Carlos Sainz, and Lucas Moraes, who currently sits third overall in the standings.
In this scenario, the home team of Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings capitalized on their local experience and won the stage with a time of 2h26m08s. Spaniards Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz came in second, 2m38s behind, while Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin claimed third, finishing 3m34s off the leaders.
Lucas Moraes clocked 2h31m05s in his Toyota Gazoo Racing car, earning sixth place. Championship leader and his main rival in the previous round, Nasser Al-Attiyah, finished ninth with a time of 2h31m33s.
“It was a really tough stage, with some very slippery sections,” said Moraes. “But we had a good result today. I still need to improve a few things in my driving, but it’s just the beginning,” he added. “Tomorrow we start the marathon stage, and it’s going to be interesting since we’ll be sleeping out in the savanna. Hopefully, I won’t run into any hippos or lions!” Moraes joked.
On Wednesday, the rally kicks off its marathon stage with 352 km against the clock. Competitors will sleep outdoors in the middle of the South African savanna before resuming the race with another 253 km on Thursday. The event runs through Saturday.
Automatic translation of the Portuguese version
Source Lucas Moraes / BestPR
Photo: Red Bull Content Pool
