Good starting position for Monster Energy Honda Team in Morocco

This afternoon saw the prologue of the Morocco Rally, the final event whose points count towards the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, held in the surroundings of Fez. The Monster Energy Honda Team riders will occupy well-placed start positions for tomorrow’s first full stage.

The Morocco Rally is off and running after the dispute of a short curtain-raising prologue which dictated the starting positions for the first stage of the race.

The best riders from the Monster Energy Honda Team proved to be American Ricky Brabec and Argentine Kevin Benavides, who set the fourth fastest time (09’02”) over the ten-kilometre special stage. In seventh place was Portuguese rider Paulo Gonçalves, twenty-one seconds off the best time and Chilean José Ignacio Cornejo who chose a different tactical approach and finished twentieth, 1’21” behind the eventual winner.

Finally, after the election of the starting order, Paulo Gonçalves will start in ninth position, Ricky Brabec in 11th and Kevin Benavides in 12th. The order of José Ignacio Cornejo does not change, 20º.

The first stage, between Fez and Erfoud, will feature two special stages. After a first link of 130.14 kilometres, the first timed section of 74.20 km will be disputed. Another link of 190.48 will take the competitors to a second timed special of 68.48 kilometres that will lead them close to the bivouac located on the outskirts of Erfoud, at the edge of the Erg Chebbi, where the action will take place over the following days.