After a 15-kilometre prologue over the weekend, the real rally for the riders in Romania started on Monday. On the first day of the week, the competitors had to complete two speed sections totalling more than 180 kilometres and a total of over 250 kilometres per day. Although both CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team riders made it to the bivouac, it was not an easy day.
"The first speed section was very unsuccessful. First of all because of the navigation, because of some technical things that we should have solved long ago. Certain devices should have been got rid of a long time ago, but I kept saying that they were good. Team changed them before the second speed section and things got much better.
The other thing is that I had a really big crash on the first section. The quad even tipped over the front twice and we have some damage to parts as a result. The fuel tank will have to be replaced. The metal and plastics will polish off. The mechanics are already at work and we are getting ready for tomorrow," said Antanas Kanopkinas about Monday's adventure.
A. Kanopkinas was second to last in the day's unsuccessful first stage, but made up for it in the second stage by taking fourth position. After all the setbacks, the provisional results on Monday put him eighth among all ATV riders.
Another teammate, Adomas Gančierius, had a much more calm and successful day. "Today I was more concentrated, I didn't take risks where I don't see and don't know the road. It went well, no navigational mistakes. I finished first in the first section, with a Frenchman behind me. In the second stage we also started and finished almost together, and in the overall result of the day he finished one second in front of me, so you could say we were riding evenly today."
"You can't go at full speed, because there's a risk of crashing. I think that it was a true working day and I'm happy to be at the finish without any injuries or problems," told A. Gančierius.
The athlete also said that he and his closest rival, Frenchman Gaetan Martinez, had agreed to help each other if they saw other making navigational mistakes. The CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team rider said that there were times when the Frenchman signalled to him when he turned the wrong way, and vice versa.
On Tuesday, the riders will have more than 250 sportive kilometres to cover, with a total of 275 km to be covered.