Enjoying a seriously strong start to the 2021 Rallye du Maroc, GASGAS Factory Racing’s Daniel Sanders has successfully completed the opening stage as the fifth fastest rider. Feeling comfortable immediately in Morocco, and finding his flow from the very beginning of the 228-kilometer special, Sanders upped his pace as the stage progressed to bring his GASGAS RC 450F home well-placed among the leading riders.
Daniel Sanders: “Day one is done and it’s great to have completed the first stage of a rally this year with a solid finish. I felt great on the bike from the very start and as I got further into the stage I just felt better and better. With a strong start the goal now is to keep the ball rolling from here onwards and I’m excited for the rest of the rally.”
On what’s scheduled to be the shortest special stage at the 2021 Rallye du Maroc, Daniel Sanders put together his best opening-day result of the season to secure a confidence-inspiring fifth-place finish. Entering the stage as the 17th rider and with his navigation on point all day, Chucky was able to make up considerable time on the leaders and goes into tomorrow’s stage with a relatively favorable starting position.
With his impressive fitness no doubt contributing to his strong finish on day one, Sanders will now turn his attention to tomorrow’s longest stage of the rally. Totaling almost 610 kilometers, stage two will be a seriously physical and mental test but given that he’s feeling good, we’ve no doubt that we’ll see his name near the top of the time sheets once again.
Results (provisional): Rallye du Maroc 2021, stage 1
1. Joan Barreda (Honda) 2:58:53
2. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 3:00:03
3. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) 3:01:52
5. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 3:06:24
Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 1)
1. Joan Barreda (Honda) 3:25:57
2. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 3:26:51
3. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) 3:29:08
5. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 3:32:56