Van Beveren clocks in second at Stage 4 to maintain Merzouga Rally lead

Michelle Liew

July 5, 2019

The penultimate stage of the Merzouga Rally saw Yamalube Yamaha gaining their lead once again with Adrien Van Beveren securing second place, trailing behind KTM’s Ross Branch.

Just yesterday we saw Adrien Van Beveren maintaining his average in the 2019 Merzouga Rally by dominating Stage 3. This time, the Frenchman has topped the provisional overall motorcycles class results by coming in second on the penultimate stage at Stage 4. Yamalube Yamaha Rally Team once again secures the top spot to gain their lead ahead of KTM. Van Beveren managed to clock an approximately 23-minute advantage ahead of Bostwana’s Ross Branch after clearing Stage 4. With his WR450F, Van Beveren navigated his way through the challenging big dunes in the Moroccan heat. The marathon consists of a 205.27km special stage which was tougher than the usual tracks.

Photo credits: Yamaha Racing

As it happened with Van Beveren

“I am very pleased with the way the marathon stages have gone for me, and really enjoyed them. Yesterday everything went well again. More tricky navigation, but importantly I had a great feeling with my bike and to win was fantastic. Being in the marathon bivouac last night was great fun – spending time with other competitors. Some of the riders that gave me great advice when I first started in the rally, it was so cool,” Van Beveren states as quoted from Yamaha Racing. “I arrived there with my bike in perfect condition, so today I focused on doing another good navigation. Opening the stage all day was tough, but again this race is the perfect training for me because I have to be completely focused on my road book, not following any other tracks from other riders. I made some mistakes and got lost a few times, but I took my time. I was riding more like I would in training, not at 100%. It was a very good stage for me. I feel good, my bike is perfect, so now I look forward to the final dune stage.”

Next Up: Final Stage

The riders will be gearing up for the fifth and final stage of the Merzouga Rally ad the Grand Prix des Dunes with a 40.30km special stage.