Leg 3 Douz Loop: Knuiman ahead despite overspeed penalty, Gerlach just 38 seconds behind

Last updated on 27. October 2026

Series: Fenix Rally – The doorway to Sahara

Jeremy Knuiman won the third stage of the Fenix Rally in the Enduro class on Monday, 26 October 2026. Leg 3 was a loop around Douz through the Tunisian desert. The Dutchman, on a KTM EXC 450, was around 14 minutes faster than Justin Gerlach but received a time penalty of 13 minutes and 30 seconds for speeding. According to the provisional, unofficial daily classification, the German (KTM FR 450 Rally, JG Racing) was left just 38 seconds behind him.

The stage: 405 kilometres of timed special around Douz

According to the roadbook, the day covered a total of 564 kilometres. An 11.50-kilometre liaison to the start was followed by a special stage of 405.55 kilometres, and then another 146.45 kilometres of liaison back. Fenix Rally motorcycles, quads and SSVs covered the same route as the classics of the L’Oasis Original Classic. The organiser’s briefing says the loop was long and demanding: fast tracks, rough and rutted trails, sand, and long sections that can only be navigated by compass heading (CAP).

The biggest topic in the briefing was fuel. For motorcycles and quads, the organiser assumes a range of 150 kilometres plus 10 per cent. At kilometre 172.89 of the special there was a service zone where riders refuelled themselves. At kilometre 257.50 came a 20-minute neutralisation with a fuel station run by the organisation. All motorcycles had to refuel there, as around 148 kilometres remained to the finish of the special. The briefing named the level crossings between kilometre 327.02 and 332.03 as the trickiest section, marked several times with the highest hazard level, “Danger !!!”.

Enduro daily result: penalty almost decides the stage win

In start-list order, Knuiman set off first at 06:30, with Gerlach following a minute later. Without the penalty, Knuiman would have won the stage comfortably; his pure riding time was around 14 minutes ahead of Gerlach’s. With the 13 minutes and 30 seconds of penalty, a lead of 38 seconds remained. Daan Veenendaal (GasGas 500, De Baar Rally Team) took third place without a penalty, 3 minutes and 48 seconds behind Knuiman.

Several other riders also received penalties for speeding (“overspeed”). Pascal de Baar got 27 minutes, Melek Abdelkafi 19 minutes and 30 seconds, Florian Willer 17 minutes and Marian Augustyn 15 minutes. All figures come from the provisional, unofficial classification; no official final result for the stage was available.

Leg 3, Enduro class, top 6 (provisional, unofficial; gap in h:min:sec, times including penalties)

1. Jeremy Knuiman (NLD, KTM EXC 450): 6:15:41.63, including 13:30 penalty (overspeed)
2. Justin Gerlach (DEU, KTM FR 450 Rally): +0:00:38
3. Daan Veenendaal (NLD, GasGas 500): +0:03:48
4. Florian Willer (DEU, KTM 450 EXC): +0:35:29, including 17:00 penalty (overspeed)
5. Gaspard Delsart (FRA, KTM 500 EXC-F): +0:41:31
6. Marian Augustyn (POL, Fantic XEF 450): +1:09:48, including 15:00 penalty (overspeed)

Behind them came the Tunisians Taher Fourati and Ghilane Benabdennour and the Dutchman Richard Wijntjes, all with a gap of just over 1 hour and 11 minutes. Sara Jugla (Kove 450 Rally) finished 11th. Firas Guidara received a 2-minute penalty for a missed waypoint (marked WPM). 14 Enduro riders were classified; the Austrian Georg Reinprecht and number 31 are listed as did not start (DNS). The results list gives no reason.

Gerlach: tablet fails after the fuel stop

In the evening, Justin Gerlach explained where he had lost time. “I lost 14 minutes to Jeremy today in the daily classification,” he said (translated from German). Up to the fuel stop before the last 150 kilometres it had only been three minutes, “I can live with that”. After that, the technology let him down: “But then my tablet dropped out again and I basically had to follow tracks and lost time” (translated from German).

Thanks to Knuiman’s penalty, the day ended up looking better for him. Gerlach spoke of a 36-second gap, while the classification shows 38 seconds. By his own account, he is still leading the overall standings. “It’s not over until the last kilometre has been ridden,” Gerlach said. “So I’m riding my own race.” (translated from German). The editorial team has not yet been able to see an overall standing with gaps after Leg 3, so Gerlach’s statement on the overall lead is not independently confirmed here.

German-speaking starters

Alongside Gerlach, Florian Willer (KTM 450 EXC) also made the top 5. He finished fourth despite a 17-minute penalty for speeding. Georg Reinprecht from Austria (Beta RR 390) was on the Leg 3 start list with a start time of 06:46, but is listed as did not start in the classification.

L’Oasis classic motorcycles

The historic motorcycles of the L’Oasis Original Classic rode the same loop. In the M2005 class, Gaspard Albanel (KTM) won in 7 hours, 42 minutes and 14 seconds, ahead of Edouard Gager, 31 minutes and 21 seconds behind, and Ludovic Gager, 33 minutes and 7 seconds behind. Pieter Boudrez (Yamaha) was the only rider in the M85 class and took 9 hours, 2 minutes and 37 seconds, including a 2-minute penalty for a missed waypoint.

About the rally

The Fenix Rally runs from 23 to 31 October 2026, based in Douz (Road2Rally, Fenix Rally). The organiser is RBI Sport; the 2026 edition runs together with the L’Oasis L’Original. According to Tunisie-Tribune, it is the sixth edition. More than 2,200 kilometres are to be covered over seven competition days.

Sources and photo credits

• Fenix Rally 2026 / L’Oasis Original Classic: Competitor Briefing Leg 3, Douz Loop (organiser document, held by the editorial team)
• Fenix Rally 2026: start list Leg 3, as of 26.10.2026, 21:50 (timekeeping, held by the editorial team)
• Fenix Rally 2026: Partial Unofficial Classification L3 (provisional, unofficial classification from timekeeping, held by the editorial team)
• Justin Gerlach: audio statement from the evening of 26.10.2026 (held by the editorial team)
• Fenix Rally (RBI Sport): fenix-rally.com
• Road2Rally, Fenix Rally event page: road2rally.de/events/fenix-rally/
• Tunisie-Tribune, 22.10.2026: La Tunisie accueille la 6ᵉ édition du Fenix Rally 2026
• Photo 1: motorcyclist in the dunes, archive photo; photographer not named; rights holder Fenix Rally (RBI Sport); source: fenix-rally.com; date of photo unknown
• Photo 2: motorcyclist with number 6 in a dune, archive photo from the Fenix Rally 2021; photographer not named; rights holder RBI Sport; source: rbi-sport.com/fenix-rally/; exact date of photo unknown