+++ News Flash +++
- Swank Rally di Sardegna: First stage heads to Genoa, then Sardinia awaits
- Schareina: Tablet problems and 7:08 minutes behind at the Morocco opener
- ZXMOTO: Howes loses over 70 minutes – Ebster helps out with fuel, according to race report
- Docherty on Hero: Just 59 seconds short of the Rally2 stage win
+++++++++++++++
Swank Rally di Sardegna: Via Genoa into an island adventure
Category: Amateur Rally Calendar
Status: Confirmed – event programme
After a night prologue scheduled for the previous evening, the Swank Rally di Sardegna programme provides for a first stage of around 280 kilometres from Malpensa to Genoa on 30 September, with one special stage. The ferry to Olbia follows in the evening, after which three further stages lead via Orosei and back to Olbia. The prize-giving is planned for 3 October, with the ferry back to Genoa the following morning. Alongside the scored Rally category, there is an unscored Experience variant with a roadbook or GPX file and a partly simplified route. The format thus combines rally atmosphere with an alternative for riders who want to enjoy the adventure without competitive scoring.
Schareina: Tablet problems and more than seven minutes behind
Category: Rally Tech/Future
Status: Confirmed – rider report and stage result
Tosha Schareina finished the first stage of the Rallye du Maroc on 29 September in seventh place in RallyGP, 7:08 minutes behind Honda team-mate Ricky Brabec. In the Honda race report, the Spaniard describes repeated tablet problems and difficulty finding his rhythm. How much of his deficit was due to the device alone is not quantified. In the provisional RallyGP overall standings after the prologue and first stage, he was 7:27 minutes behind Brabec.
ZXMOTO: Howes loses over 70 minutes, Ebster helps out
Category: Factory Teams & Manufacturers
Status: Confirmed – time gap; breakdown sequence according to race report
Skyler Howes reached the finish of the first Morocco stage on his ZXMOTO 1:10:03 hours behind stage winner Brabec. According to SPEEDWEEK, the American ran out of fuel and stopped, whereupon Rally2 team-mate Tobias Ebster shared petrol with him. According to the report, both reached the end of the stage but had to be towed on the following liaison section. The time applies to Howes and is not a combined team result. For ZXMOTO, Morocco also remains a development test ahead of the Dakar, as Howes had already explained in the W2RC interview before the start.
Docherty on Hero: 59 seconds short of the Rally2 stage win
Category: Teams & Rally2
Status: Confirmed – stage result and team affiliation
Michael Docherty missed out on the Rally2 daily win on the first stage of the Rallye du Maroc by just 59 seconds. Honda rider Martim Ventura won in 2:42:05 hours, with Docherty second ahead of Bruno Crivilin. After the prologue and this stage, Docherty’s deficit in the provisional Rally2 overall standings was even smaller, at only 58 seconds. The South African now rides for Hero MotoSports on the Hero 450 Rally, as confirmed by the W2RC announcement of his move and the latest prologue report from his sponsor; the KTM attribution in Honda’s results table is therefore outdated.