Oh yeah, that is how it’s done! Needing to deliver a strong result with the pressure well and truly on, Sam Sunderland has clocked the second-fastest time on stage four at Rallye du Maroc to move up to third in the provisional standings with just one timed special to go. Now that’s what we call a productive day in the desert!
Sam Sunderland: “Today was the longest stage and it definitely felt like it! It was fast out there with a lot of difficult terrain, but after making a few small adjustments to the suspension on my bike, it really made a difference and I felt much more comfortable. I was able to attack a little more and that really helped. Things in rally can change quickly so it’s important to take things day by day as my good friend Toby crashed out today, but fortunately he’ll be ok. My focus is now on tomorrow and the final stage and I’m excited for it.”
It’s been a bit of a wild ride so far at the Rallye du Maroc but on the penultimate stage, Sam was definitely back to his best. After making a steady start on what was the longest stage of the rally - a whopping 346-kilometer timed special from Laayoune to Tan-Tan – Sunderland massively upped his pace once he’d passed the first checkpoint.
Continuing to take serious chunks of time out of the leaders throughout the penultimate stage on his way to posting the second-fastest time, Sam’s impressive result sees the Brit leap up to third in the overall leaderboard. And with just one more timed special separating him from the event’s finish line in Agadir, the race to the finish is set to be epic!
2022 Rallye du Maroc – Stage 4 Provisional Classification
1. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 3:21:35
2. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS) 3:25:51
3. Kevin Benavides (KTM) 3:27:46
2022 Rallye du Maroc – Provisional Overall Classification [After Stage 4]
1. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 14:51:42
2. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna) 14:52:53
3. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS) 14:58:31