Since
winning Stage 3, JRod has been consistently finishing in the top 10 positions
and his strong finish now places him at the 14th position in the overall
RallyGP class rankings. Aaron enjoyed riding on his Hero 450 Rally, especially
in the long dune sections on Monday. His performance puts him in 16th place in
the overall RallyGP class rankings.
Stage
8 which started off with sandy dunes, quickly moved to narrow tracks full of
stones and then wet stretches, before heading into a constant web of valleys
and wadis. Finding the right path from one valley to another was unusually
difficult in the day’s 400 km special section.
Starting
the last leg of the race, Stage 9 will be a 490 km loop around Wadi Ad-Dawasir,
featuring mountains and tracks that wind their way around canyons. Although
there will be lesser sand than earlier, this short stage is still presumed to
be a difficult one.
Joaquim
Rodrigues said, “I had another good stage. It was really fast, but it was a
good race. The Hero Rally 450 has been performing at its best, and I’m happy
with my performance as well. We’ve been posting consistent results, and I hope
we can keep it up till the end of the race.”
Added
Aaron Maré, “The stage started really well, and I enjoyed riding in the dunes
till about refuel. After refuel, the tracks became quite fast and windy, though
I enjoyed that as well because it wasn’t as rocky as the previous stages. I
also felt a lot more comfortable with the navigation, and finished without
making any mistakes. I’m happy with my consistent performance, and hoping for a
better result ahead.”
Provisional Stage 8
Rankings - RallyGP class:
1. Sam Sunderland GasGas Factory
Racing 03h 48m 02s
2. Pablo Quintanilla Monster Energy
Honda + 02m 53s
3. Matthias Walkner Red Bull KTM Factory
Team + 04m 11s
4. Ricky Brabec Monster Energy Honda + 06m 44s
7. Joaquim Rodrigues Hero MotoSports Team
Rally + 09m 58s
19. Aaron Maré Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 20m 17s
Provisional Overall
Standings after Stage 8 - RallyGP class:
1. Sam Sunderland GasGas Factory
Racing 27h 38m 42s
2. Matthias Walkner Red Bull KTM Factory
Team + 03m 45s
3. Adrien van Beveren Monster Energy Yamaha + 04m 43s
4. Pablo Quintanilla Monster Energy
Honda + 05m 30s
14. Joaquim Rodrigues Hero MotoSports Team
Rally + 58m 05s
16. Aaron Maré Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 01h 11m 46s
Provisional Overall
Standings after Stage 8 - All classes:
1. Sam Sunderland GasGas Factory
Racing 27h 38m 42s
2. Matthias Walkner Red Bull KTM Factory
Team + 03m 45s
3. Adrien van Beveren Monster Energy Yamaha + 04m 43s
4. Pablo Quintanilla Monster Energy
Honda + 05m 30s
15. Joaquim Rodrigues Hero MotoSports Team
Rally + 58m 05s
17. Aaron Maré Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 01h 11m 46s