Stage two of the Afriquia
Merzouga Rally on May 24, 2016 saw the two riders of Hero MotoSports Team Rally
perform well in the heat of the Moroccon desert. Joaquim Rodrigues consolidated his position
in the overall standings and came in 11th, his team-mate CS Santosh moved into 21st
position in Stage2.
The day was marked by two special tests,
making the riders race 181 kilometres against the clock. Altogether 340 km of
distance had to be covered. Rally rookie Rodrigues showed he´s a quick learner
in the second part of the second special, when he was held up by dust from
competitors in front of him. "J-Rod" took no risk, remained patient
and got on the gas when the circumstances allowed to.
“It was better than yesterday," the
Portuguese said. "I didn´t really get lost and finished the race pretty
good. I´m happy because with each stage I understand better how this rally
thing works. Now it´s about learning more and more and place my Hero well in
the standings," he added.
Rodrigues was handed a
30-minute penalty on Monday evening after it had become clear he missed a
waypoint during stage one.
"Today was one of the longest days of the
rally," said India´s motorsport star CS Santosh. "My navigation was
good in the dunes. I paid close attention to the roadbook and that went
alright. I got a little lost on two occasions, but the overall feeling remains
very positive," he added
Provisional Results Stage 2
1. Gerard Farres Guell, SPA,
KTM 4:51:45 hrs
2. Adrien van Beveren, FRA,
Yamaha +1:18 min
3. Stefan Svitko, SVK, KTM
+1:33
4. Kevin Benavides, ARG, Honda
+2:25
5. Helder Rodrigues, POR,
Yamaha +4:19
11. Joaquim Rodrigues, POR,
Hero +26:35
21. CS Santosh, IND, Hero
+49:59
Provisional Overall Standings
1. Svitko 7:45:25 hrs
2. Farres Guell +3:37 min
3. van Beveren +3:51
4. Helder Rodrigues +4:50
5. Benavides +5:25
11. Joaquim Rodrigues +1:18:40
18. CS Santosh +1:45:10