Onwards and upwards! Stage three of the 2022 Rallye du Maroc saw Sam Sunderland back at the sharp end of the results as the Brit mastered the gnarly terrain to clock the fourth-fastest time. After what was by far his best performance this week, Sam’s now knocking on the door of the top five in the provisional standings with a spot on the overall podium well up for grabs. It’s go time!
- Sam posts his best stage result so far at 2022 Rallye du Maroc
- Dakar champ narrowly misses out on a top-three stage finish
- Technical terrain and tricky navigation no match for Sunderland
Sam Sunderland: “Another long and tough day. The wind we had today was pretty epic which blew sand across a lot of the tracks to make navigation even more tricky, but it’s the same for everyone, I guess. For the most part I was riding by myself for pretty much the whole stage, and I felt good on the bike, the best I have since the race started, I would say. Today was a big improvement so I’m aiming to carry on like this and keep on moving up the leaderboard.”
Day after day, the Rallye du Maroc is providing tough test after tough test. Needing a strong result on stage three, which was made all the more treacherous thanks to some serious cross winds, Sam simply delivered, with his hard effort seeing him race across the finish line just 25 seconds behind the third-placed rider in fourth.
Now, with two stages to go and little to separate the riders ahead of him, the Brit remains in close contention for a place on the overall podium. But it won’t be easy as tomorrow, Sam will be the fourth competitor to enter the special and take on the longest stage of the event as one of the leading riders. But if anyone can lead out, navigate with precision, and deliver a strong result under pressure, it’s GASGAS Factory Racing’s very own, Sam Sunderland.
2022 Rallye du Maroc – Stage 3 Provisional Classification
1. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) 3:09:42
2. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) 3:10:07
3. Ross Branch (Hero) 3:12:20
4. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS) 3:12:45
2022 Rallye du Maroc – Provisional Overall Classification [After Stage 3]
1. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) 11:22:51
2. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) 11:26:08
3. Toby Price (KTM) 11:27:36
6. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS) 11:32:40