If the 2017 Afriquia Merzouga Rally didn’t five France’s Xavier de Soultrait a mountain of confidence, nothing will.
De Soultrait claimed his third win out of six stages in the rally’s final stage today to handily score the overall win for Yamaha with a total time of 14 hours, 54 minutes and 36 seconds, putting him a comfortable 13 minutes and 7 seconds ahead of runner-up Gerrard Farres, who rides for the Himoinsa KTM team. De Soultrait’s Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally teammate, Franco Caimi of Argentina, finished third overall after picking up one stage win.
It was an amazing week for de Soultrait, who was making his debut with the factory Yamaha rally team.
“To win this rally feels amazing,” he said. “This is my first major victory in Africa and the best way to wrap up my first event as part of the team. Today’s stage was run in deep sandy dunes. I had a good start and then gradually battled my way to the lead. Navigation was quite straightforward in the beginning but got trickier as we were getting close to the finish. I managed to stay focused and avoid mistakes. This past six days I’ve learned a lot. I managed to improve my navigation and learn how to open the tracks while remaining fast.
“Being part of such a well-organized team was a great help too,” de Soultrait added. “I was really happy to see how motivated each person within the team was and that made me want to do even better. It was also the first time in my career I had to work with a teammate. Franco (Caimi) did a great job, and I can truly say he’s been a great help. We raced this event as a team and I’m happy for him getting on the podium.”
De Soultrait wasted no time in taking the lead when the sixth stage left the line in a massive motocross-styled start for 50 kilometers of dune riding. Despite increasingly difficult navigation, de Soultrait reached the finish first to seal the win. In doing so, he became the third Yamaha rider to claim a win in the eight-year-long history of the event.
2017 Afriquia Merzouga Rally
Merzouga, Morocco, Africa
Results: May 12, 2016 (after 6 of 6 stages)
Stage 6
1. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA), Yamaha, 1 hour 5 minutes, 48 seconds
2. Joaquim Rodrigues (POR), Hero, 01:05:51/+00:03
3. Ivan Cervantes (ESP), KTM, 01:05:54/+00:06
4. Juan Pedrero (ESP), Sherco, 01:06:08/+00:20
5. Gerard Farrés (ESP), KTM, 01:06:12/+00:24
2017 Afriquia Merzouga Rally Final Overall Results (after 6 of 6 stages)
1. Xavier de Soultrait (FRA), Yamaha, 14 hours, 54 minutes, 36 seconds
2. Gerard Farres (ESP), KTM, 15:07:43/+13:07
3. Franco Caimi (ARG), Yamaha, 15:17:07/+22:31
4. Juan Pedrero (ESP), Sherco, 15:33:06/+38:30
5. Alessandro Botturi (ITA), Yamaha, 15:34:24/+39:48
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