Campbell and Ventura push hard on penultimate stage in Morocco
As the sun rose over Erfoud, Honda HRC Rally2 riders Martim Ventura and Preston Campbell prepared for stage four of the World Rally-Raid Championship, tackling a total of 379 km, including 284 km against the clock.
With the rocky terrain giving way to stretches of sand today, the riders set off southwest from the bivouac toward the striking black-blue peaks of the Djebel Zireg, where amid breathtaking desert vistas, Ventura and Campbell were determined to push hard and end the penultimate day of the rally on a high note.
Ventura got off to a flying start on his Honda CRF450RX RALLY, recording a time just three seconds shy of the stage leader at the first checkpoint, with Campbell following closely, seven seconds behind his teammate. Ventura experienced a brief lapse in focus while overtaking riders through the sandy sections but quickly regained his rhythm, finishing the stage in third, 6’49” behind winner Konrad Dabrowski. He was pleased to complete the day, taking valuable lessons and gaining further experience in the challenging desert conditions.
Battling variable weather, Campbell rode well in the rain, navigating the smaller dunes and challenging navigation to finish fifth, 8’07” behind stage winner Konrad Dabrowski.
The rally concludes tomorrow with a final 216 km loop around Erfoud. One last challenge awaits as Honda HRC aim to close out their second World Rally-Raid Championship round with a strong finish.
Martim Ventura 84
It was a good day but tough. I began the stage with a good rhythm, then I caught two or three guys. It was the first time for me to ride with someone and navigate, and I didn’t manage that well. I focused a bit too much on them and then I didn’t focus on the navigation and we made mistakes, me and them. I have to improve that because I know in the future it will happen a lot. It’s something to learn from today. I had a good start, but then started to fade a bit through the stage. The most important thing is to learn from this and keep growing, but I’m happy with the day.
Preston Campbell 85
Stage four was good, it was super fast pace with big, fast pistes and some soft little dunes that I actually got to ride in the rain. On the navigation, there were a couple of tough little sections, but overall it went smoothly and I pushed to the finish.
