Rally in Croatia: Competitors Reach the Halfway Point, Daily Challenges Continue

On Wednesday, participants of the Dinaric Rally reached the halfway mark – both of the rally itself and of the marathon stage, which will conclude on Thursday. Today’s planned 200-kilometer stage was shortened to 140 kilometers by the organizers due to obstacles on the course. Both CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team riders successfully reached the parc fermé, where they had to leave their quads until tomorrow’s start without any assistance from mechanics.

At the finish, Antanas Kanopkinas admitted that it was a difficult day for him in terms of focus: “Today was a day of distraction and lack of concentration. The start was delayed, my eye hurts, the navigation wasn’t working. All of this distracted me and led to mistakes at the beginning, which I then tried to make up for. I don’t know if I managed, as the results of these two days will only be announced tomorrow. Still, despite the mistakes, overall things are fine.”

Adomas Gančierius was pleased with the shortened special stage, as it reduced the risk of damage or breakdowns: “Today went really well for me. In the morning I was a bit distracted, but once crossed the start line, I managed to focus very quickly. During the day I had many overtakes – some riders didn’t want to let me pass, so I had to take risks.

Again, the distance markers didn’t match, so at one point, like many others, I gone the other direction slightly. Summing up the day – it was very good: the quad is running perfectly, and despite the strong sun, I’m not tired.”

The results of today and Thursday will only be known tomorrow, as the two days make up a single marathon stage. This also means that after today’s kilometers, the riders had just one hour for minor repairs without any mechanic support, after which the quads were placed overnight in the parc fermé.

Tomorrow will start early – the first riders will set off at 5:30 in the morning. On Thursday, the rally will also cross into Bosnia, with competitors facing a total of 480 kilometers.