Halfway Through the Marathon Stage: had to stop at the track

On Wednesday, during the rally in South Africa, teams faced over 600 kilometers on the road and had to take special care of their machines—it was the first day of the marathon stage. Both CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team riders made it to the remote bivouac, though not without a few unexpected stops along the way.

Upon arrival at the bivouac, riders had one hour to inspect and repair their vehicles before parking them in the parc fermé for the night. French rider Gaëtan Martinez said the day went well for him:

“We spent about half an hour working on the quads—no major damage found, and they’re ready for tomorrow. The stage, especially at the beginning, was tough, with lots of turns. The second part stretched through open savanna, but there were some serious navigation challenges.”

He added that they were frequently caught and overtaken by cars, forcing them to ride through heavy dust clouds. Despite the difficulties, both CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team riders set the best times in their class—Antanas Kanopkinas in first, with Gaëtan just five minutes behind.

“Everything looks pretty good today, aside from having to stop at the beginning of the stage to fix a punctured tire. The important thing is that I’m at the finish, feeling fine, and the quad is undamaged. I actually punctured the tire after taking a wrong turn and crossing a barbed-wire fence—it happened just two kilometers into the stage, but I didn’t lose too much time,” said Antanas Kanopkinas after reaching the bivouac.

Tomorrow, the riders will face a 246-kilometer special stage and 272 kilometers of liaison. The route will once again take them through vast savanna plains. By the end of the day, they’ll be reunited with their teams and will finally have access to mechanical support again.