After winning the Prologue and taking the first Stage of the Rallye du Maroc, 2X Dakar champ Ricky Brabec faced the unenviable task of opening the road on what was described as “one of the toughest stages in the history of the Rallye du Maroc”. With brutal terrain lying ahead, simply getting both rider and machine safely to the finish would be a challenge in itself.
“Today was rough. They said it was going to be physically demanding and it definitely was,” said the Top American. “It was a long day with four hours in the saddle, bouncing through rocks and the small dunes with hard ground on the back side. It was tough. Navigation was tricky here and there, and then Daniel and I rode together from around 90 km all the way to the finish. Overall, I’m happy to have finished Stage 2. Hopefully there are some smoother stages coming up because the body is really feeling it now.”
Leaving the Zagora bivouac at sunrise, Brabec was the first to tackle the 59 km road section before the start of an intense 300 km special stage. After the high pace of yesterday’s racing, the riders faced a very different challenge, with a mix of imposing dunes, riverbeds, stony terrain and several trials-style sections making for an extremely physical day on the bike.
At the first time check, Brabec was holding onto the lead – but only just. Thanks to the time bonuses awarded for opening the stage, the American held an advantage of a single second. By the 90 km mark, Daniel Sanders had caught Brabec and the pair began sharing the task of opening the road. The Monster Energy Honda HRC rider put in a stellar effort to maximize the bonuses on offer and limit his losses.
After factoring in 1’56” of bonus time, Brabec completed the stage 3’04” behind stage winner Sanders. Although the result cost Brabec the overall rally lead, the battle remains finely poised, with just 2’54” separating the pair heading into the next stage.
Today, Stage 3 Stage three takes the riders towards the spectacular dunes of Merzouga, where another demanding test awaits. The competitors will face 363 km against the clock and a total of 591 km in the saddle on another loop from the Zagora bivouac.
