The Fenix rally in Tunisia is coming to an end, with participants finishing the penultimate
stage on Friday. Participants had to drive more than 150 km in the dunes and they said it
was not an easy ride.
CFMOTO RACING TEAM riders still hold on to the top of their class standings to this day, but
today the result has almost slipped out of hand. Adomas Gančierius, the leader of the ATV
standings, said that in the first kilometer of the speed section, the rear wheel rim broke so
he had to drive the remaining distance with a flat tire.
Flat tire to the finish
"At the first kilometer I hit the stone and the rim broke, so the remaining 159 kilometers
had to be driven with the flat tire on a rear wheel. I was very careful not to break it down at
all. In some places I had to slow down quite a lot, but I didn’t waste too much time. It was a
very good test, during which we’ve discovered that with these tires it is possible to drive
about two hundred kilometers without air. Truth be said, it was uneasy task to climb the
dunes, but there I caught Antanas and the Frenchman Martinez, and I even overtook them
later, ”said A. Gančierius after the finish.
The athlete also said that during the 15-minute break in the refueling zone, he set up a
strategy and let A. Kanopkinas drive in front of him, that way both members of the team
achieved good results in today's speed stage.
After the finish, Antanas Kanopkinas spoke about the fact that his plan was to follow the
Frenchman that’s closest to him in the standings, thus assuring that he will not overtake
Antanas’ in overall standings: There was a plan and I followed it, in the last fifty kilometers,
after the filling area, I even managed to win another minute. The day was hard, I gave all my
strength and pressed to the maximum.”
The man mentioned that although both CFMOTO RACING TEAM athletes have already
gained a significant advantage before the start of the last day, it is still too early to
celebrate. On Saturday, the seventh day of the rally, 85 kilometers speed stage awaits the
participants. There will be high dunes and sandy plains - the final results will be decided
here.