Solid start for Honda HRC Rally 2 riders at Rallye du Maroc
The 19-kilometre prologue marked the opening action of the Rallye du Maroc today, with Honda HRC Rally 2 riders Martim Ventura and Preston Campbell both delivering promising performances aboard their Honda CRF450RX RALLY machines.
The route, made up entirely of soil tracks and dotted with several tricky hazards, provided a technical challenge for the riders right from the start. Martim Ventura put in a confident and composed ride to finish the prologue in fourth place, just 22 seconds behind Rally 2 stage winner Michael Docherty.
After a few days of testing and continuing his adaptation to the Moroccan terrain, Preston Campbell also impressed with a smooth and consistent run, securing fifth place only 27 seconds off the lead. Although he felt there was room to push harder, he still posted the fifth-fastest time, only 27 seconds off the lead.
Tomorrow, stage one will take competitors from Fez to Erfoud, covering a total distance of 780 kilometres, including 300 kilometres of timed special. It marks the beginning of a demanding week where the Honda HRC duo will look to gain valuable experience and mileage aboard their Honda CRF450RX RALLY machines.
Preston Campbell 85
The prologue went well, I started and pushed hard, made no mistakes. I definitely feel like I wish I could have pushed a little more but overall it was good. Super fun, big rolling hills and my bike was working awesome, so thank you to the team. Tomorrow, it’s an start early with a big liaison and over the mountains to the desert and stage one in the morning.
Martim Ventura 84
For a prologue it was fast and longer at 19 km, so I liked it. There were lots of tracks, which was nice and really good views, so I enjoyed it. I’m kind of getting more used to the bike, so today it was good but it’s just the beginning and will be very different from what’s going to be the rally. Tomorrow is a long day, I have to be prepared, but I’m happy for today’s start.
