Stage 3 Zagora ↔ Zagora
Janus van Kasteren was the first rally truck to open the test today. The reward of yesterday’s victory.
News Reports
Van Kasteren in second place
Janus van Kasteren was the first rally truck to open the test today. The reward of yesterday’s victory. Nice, but not always an advantage. In this case it was no problem, because the truck of Boss Machinery Team De Rooy FPT had set a good pace.
During the entire test, Van Kasteren, Snijders and Rodewald were the fastest to pass the intermediate points. In the last part the victory of the day had to be surrendered. Martin Macik, leader in the general classification, took that honor.
Past the finish, Van Kasteren was able to tell his story of the day quite quickly: “I think it was another tough day for everyone. Lots of stones and holes on a path that I think has been used for rallies for forty years, because it was simply broken. The material then of course suffers a lot. Actually, it went well all day and we were always two minutes and a bit ahead of Macik.”
“Just before the mandatory twenty-minute stop at 240 kilometers we heard the studs flying off the right front tire. We can accurately read the temperatures of the tires. So the judge had become too hot.”
“Because Macik was right behind us, we decided to take the risk and continue. We hoped that band would hold up. Twenty kilometers after the stop, all the studs were gone. Then we almost hit the iron. We were able to continue for quite a while, but twenty kilometers before the end it fell off. The brake lines were also somewhat damaged as a result. We changed the tire and then had to drive quietly.”
It’s a pity for the day’s victory and the fact that Macik is again slightly ahead in the general classification of this Rallye du Maroc, but for the world title, Van Kasteren’s team with starting number 500 must pay particular attention to Thomas Vratny. As long as they stay ahead of this rally, the FIA Cross Country World Championship is secured.
“We have to look at that more than the day’s victory. It was certainly possible, but a blowout meant that we finished second today.” says Janus van Kasteren.
The aforementioned Vratny fell behind enormously today, so in that respect Janus, Marcel and Darek seem to be on course for that world title.
Becx Competition Team de Rooy FTP in third place
Michiel Becx raced a great stage together with navigator Edwin Kuijpers and mechanic Wuf van Ginkel. It resulted in a wonderful third place in ranking. Kuijpers said that only a tire change at the beginning of the test caused a short delay.
“We had a great day. A very fast test with many stones, but also very long straights. Had few problems except for a flat tire four kilometers after the start. That happened on a narrow stretch with sharp stones. Luckily we were able to change the wheel very quickly, because within five minutes we were back on the road. Later we had a few nice dunes, where we had to turn a few times because they were too high. Furthermore, it was driven very neatly.”
Michiel’s intercom was broken in the last ten kilometers, so he couldn’t hear me. With hand signals we had to get through the last ten kilometers and endure quite a few dangers. That also went well, so we were super satisfied.”
Top teamwork gives the Ladies fourth place
The third stage of the Rallye du Maroc is tough, with many sharp stones and flat tires lurking. Ladies Team de Rooy FPT do not allow themselves to be tempted by mistakes and ride a very good stage. For Anja, Floor and Marije it resulted in a nice fourth fastest time with the Iveco Powerstar.
“I am so happy with fourth place,” says Anja.
“It was a really tough test, there were a lot of stones. That was a bit exciting with the tires, but we didn’t have a puncture. There were many other trucks standing still with flat tires and we really saved time there. It went really well in the truck, with Floor and Marije it just works. This fourth fastest time is really down to teamwork!”
The rally will move from Zagora to Merzouga tomorrow, during the fourth stage. It promises to be a varied test, with tracks, stones, sand and dunes. At 343 kilometers it is the longest stage of the rally.
Stage 3 Results
288km Special Stage
Agadir – Zagora
100km Connecting route
Stage Rank | Race no. | Driver | Time | Gap to first |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 501 | Martin Macik | 3h33m21s | – |
2 | 500 | Janus van Kasteren | 3h40m31s | +7m10s |
3 | 506 | Michiel Becx | 3h50m55s | +17m34s |
4 | 507 | Anja van Loon | 4h18m45s | +45m24s |
Tracking
#500 Boss
#506 Becx
#507 Ladies
Overall ranking
After Rallye du Maroc Stage 3: Agadir – Zagora
Stage Rank | Race no. | Driver | Time | Gap to first | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 501 | Martin | Macik | 12h11m57s | – |
2 | 500 | Janus van | Kasteren Jr. | 13h45m35s | +1h33m38s |
3 | 506 | Michiel | Becx | 13h55m11s | +1h43m14s |
6 | 507 | Anja | van Loon | 27h15m55s | +15h03m58s |
Photos
First photos arrived Photographers Fotop & MMPhoto !
Videos
Found more? Let us know.
Yes, trucks are included in orga video, unfortunatly only “our rival” gets coverage 🤣