Sunday in Tunisia: Exhausting Level-3 Dunes, Hot and Fast Tracks

The third day of the Fenix rally didn’t spare participants from massive, level-3 dunes and demanded tremendous physical effort. Both CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team riders successfully completed the long special stage, but once again had to reach the bivouac with a non-functioning engine.

“A day that took a lot out of me. After the first loop of about 170 kilometers, I was really exhausted and honestly didn’t want to start the second one. If there had been an option to stop there, I would have. But I drank some water, ate, rested for a few minutes, and recovered. It was extremely hot, so I kept pouring water over myself, and that gave me a big energy boost and motivation — I rode really fast for the next 80 kilometers, and for the rest, I switched to survival mode,” said Antanas Kanopkinas after finishing, adding that overall, it was a good day.

Gaetan Martinez also completed the stage successfully but didn’t make it back to the bivouac under his own power. “The special stage was divided into three parts, and some sections we had already ridden in previous years. It was an interesting track, alternating between fast and slower dune sections. After refueling, we started the second part of the day, where we encountered large, level-3 dunes. Antanas got stuck there — I helped him get moving again, and we continued together. Not long after, my roadbook stopped working, so I followed Antanas until the next refueling point.”

Martinez explained that after refueling, the roadbook started working again – most likely it had shut down due to overheating. The final part of the stage was very fast and everything was going well, but after crossing the finish line and heading back to the bivouac, the engine stopped again. The team’s mechanics quickly determined that the cause was poor-quality local fuel. Such situations are quite common in this region, and it was fortunate that this time it didn’t affect the racing part of the day.