The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team have enjoyed a strong stage one of the 2019 Rally du Maroc with Sam Sunderland taking the win and all four riders finishing within the top seven. KTM Factory Racing’s Laia Sanz and Mario Patrao successfully completed the challenging opening day in 19th and 27th places respectively.
Marking the fourth and final round of the 2019 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, the Rally du Maroc got underway on Friday with a short 7.3-kilometre Prologue to decide the start order for Saturday’s day one. Totalling 494 kilometres, the opening stage led competitors from the city of Fes south to the bivouac located near the small oasis town of Erfoud. The stage presented participants with fast, rocky tracks and tricky to navigate riverbeds that proved a huge test for both riders and their machines.
Fresh from being crowned 2019 World Champion, Sam Sunderland came into the Rally du Maroc with the pressure lifted from his shoulders. Nevertheless, the British rider immediately set about confirming his title by posting the third fastest Prologue time. With an advantageous start position for stage one, Sunderland continued to push on the long, hard-packed route to ultimately win the stage, close to one minute ahead of the second-placed rider.
Sam Sunderland: “Stage one was a really broken technical track with a lot of stones and blind, sharp corners so you had to pay a lot of attention all of the time. It was tough to stay focused for so long so you had to find the right balance with your speed and navigation. It was really physically hard too, on both your body and the bikes, so I’m glad to get to the finish in one piece. I’m really happy with my result and looking forward to tomorrow.”
Fastest on the Prologue, Matthias Walkner put in another excellent performance on stage one to secure the third-fastest time. The result combined with his winning Prologue time places the former Dakar winner in third overall going into Sunday’s marathon stage.
Matthias Walkner: “It was a really technical stage today – fast in places but the surface was really broken with a lot of stones. Navigation was pretty straightforward and I don’t think it was possible to make up that much time on the others, so I tried to stay safe and not make any mistakes. My result is okay and should put me in a good position for tomorrow. The bike felt great all day today, I just need to get used to these high speeds, as was the situation in Chile. I’m improving all the time though so hopefully I can keep going and get a good result at the end of the rally.”
Continuing to find his rhythm, Toby Price also excelled on the fast, demanding tracks of day one to finish fourth, a mere three seconds behind teammate Walkner. Happy with his performance and the feel onboard his KTM 450 RALLY, Toby is looking forward to the remaining four days’ racing.
Toby Price: “It’s been a good day today, I’m happy everything has gone well. Tomorrow is the marathon stage so we have to focus on looking after the bike and making it to the end of the stage without making any mistakes. All-in-all things are good – it’s nice to be out there riding and trying to get used to the new road book system. I’m pleased with my result today, the bike is working great – exciting times!”
Provisional Standings – Rally du Maroc 2019 after 1 of 5 stages
1. Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM, 3:42:45
2. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 3:43:53 +1:08
3. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 3:44:37 +1:52
4. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 3:45:00 +2:15
5. Luciano Benavides (ARG), KTM, 3:46:38 +3:53
STORY: Toby Price Tops Rally Du Maroc Stage Three
STORY: Stage victory and leadership for Joan Barreda
STORY: Sam Sunderland & KTM Win 2019 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship
STORY: “Das letzte Kräftemessen vor der Dakar!” – Matthias Walkner bei der Marokko Rally
photos (c) Marcin Kin