A Completely Different Day at the Fenix Rally: Slow Pace and Navigation by Intuition

The fifth day of the Fenix rally in the sands and deserts of Tunisia brought more challenges for the participants, but this time of a different kind – while the previous days required maximum speed, today’s stages were mostly slow and demanding. Both CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team riders successfully completed more than 300 kilometers, 189 of which were timed special stages.

“It was a very tough stage – small, technical dunes, and very hot conditions. The average speed through the dunes was just 25–35 km/h, so the kilometers passed very slowly. That made the day exhausting, but the most frustrating part was that, once again, the roadbook didn’t work. I had to rely almost entirely on intuition and on the tracks left by a few cars. Because of that, I’m tired and disappointed, but I’m glad that when the roadbook did work, I managed to solve the main navigation puzzle where many others got lost,” said Antanas Kanopkinas after finishing, adding that if treated as a training day, it was a very valuable one.

Commenting on the organizers’ navigation equipment, the rider said that it still needs improvement, but once all current issues are fixed, it will become a very effective system.

“Lots of sand, lots of dunes. The first part of the stage was quite easy – a mix of fast sections and dunes. The only real challenge was navigating without the roadbook, relying on intuition. After refueling, in the second part of the stage, the sand got softer, but we managed it quite smoothly. We finished together with Antanas, finding our way by following the tracks left by a few competitors,” said Gaetan Martinez, adding that both quads returned in perfect condition.

On Thursday, the riders will head back toward the city of Monastir – a day with more liaison kilometers and less racing on the stage.