Tarrés Makes it Back-to-Back Podiums During Stage 4 in Morocco
Yamaha Ténéré World Raid Team’s Pol Tarrés continued his charge at the Morocco Desert Challenge as he powered to a second consecutive third-place finish during the fourth stage, while his teammate Rodney Faggotter completed the special in sixth as the African rally reached the halfway point.
Stage 4 at the Morocco Desert Challenge (MDC) was the first loop stage of the rally, with the 275km special beginning and ending at the bivouac in Foum Zguid. Searing heat and sandstorms played a part, plus the stage saw the competitors enter the dunes of Erg Chegaga for the first time as the fourth day of eight concluded.
Tarrés has been on an incredible run so far in Morocco. The Andorran was third during the first Prologue and followed this up with fourth in Stage 2. The 29-year-old was back on the podium during Tuesday’s Stage 3 in third, and he backed up that performance with another stunning ride to the rostrum on Wednesday.
Blasting through the valleys and rocky trails on his Ténéré 700 World Raid, the former Enduro rider made the most of his time in the dunes despite many of them being broken. This can be tricky for competitors, as it means there is a sheer drop on the other side of a blind crest, and it can result in disaster, but Tarrés was up to the challenge. He was leading just after the halfway point of the stage and pushed until the end to secure third with a time of three hours, 59 minutes and two seconds, just five minutes and nine seconds behind the stage winner.
His teammate Faggotter, who is replacing Alessandro Botturi in the team for the MDC due to a schedule clash for the latter, had another strong stage. The Australian, competing in his first rally since the 2020 Dakar, had not ridden in the dunes for three years, and it was his first time taking on such a challenge on the Ténéré 700 World Raid. Building his confidence, he used the bike’s extra torque and power to conquer the challenging terrain but was caught out, along with several other riders, by a mistake in the roadbook at the 150km mark.
Riding on his own, a marked waypoint did not trigger his GPS, and the 49-year-old re-traced his steps to see if he had made a mistake, but there was an issue with the system. This saw him lose over ten minutes to the leaders, through no fault of his own, before deciding to carry on. Determined to make up the time, he got his head down and finished the special in four hours, six minutes and 51 seconds, only seven minutes and 49 seconds behind his teammate.
Having made it through the first four days of the MDC, Tarrés’ third podium of the rally sees him leapfrog his teammate into third in the general classification with a total time of 14 hours, 26 minutes and 58 seconds, and he now leads the Bike Big category (60cc and above). Having lost time due to the missing waypoint, Faggotter swapped places with Tarrés and is currently fourth in the overall standings, six minutes and 22 seconds behind his teammate and maintaining the Ténéré World Raid Team’s 1-2 in class.
Thursday’s 335km Stage 5 at the MDC features a liaison of 57.2km and has a little bit of everything thrown in, with some challenging navigational sections at the start, a return to the Erg Chegaga dunes, rocky trails, camel grass, and some fast-flowing sections on the dried Lake Iriki, before ending at the bivouac in M’hamid.
Pol Tarrés – P3 (3hr 59m 02s)
Ténéré World Raid Team
“I am feeling good! It was another good day, and our plan is to keep learning and pushing where we can. I am not thinking about the overall position, as it can change every day, so I am just focused on each stage and getting as much experience with the roadbook and gathering information for the bike as I can. The stage was tough today, but I always love riding in the dunes, and it was a lot of fun as I feel at home in them. Many of the dunes were broken, making it harder as it doesn’t play to the strengths of our Ténéré 700 World Raid, but honestly, the bike was incredible and was a lot of fun to ride. There is still a long way to go in the rally, and tomorrow we have more dunes, so I am already looking forward to Stage 5.”
Rodney Faggotter – P6 (4hr 06m 51s)
Ténéré World Raid Team
“The route today was pretty good but demanding. There was a lot of navigation, but I quite enjoyed it. It was the first time I had ridden dunes in three years, and my first experience of them on the Ténéré 700 World Raid, so I started steady but got into them after five or ten kilometres and got better and better as the confidence came back. I was happy with my riding, although I lost a fair bit of time at the 150km mark, along with many other riders. We were all looking for a waypoint that didn’t trigger in the GPS. I am a bit annoyed at myself about that, as I wasted a good ten minutes or more there trying to find the waypoint while most of the other riders just ignored it and carried on, so I am surprised that I am not further back from the leaders. I’ve just got to reset mentally and line up again tomorrow. I am a bit disappointed with sixth, but we are still in touch with the riders in front, and I can’t wait to get back into it.”
Marc Bourgeois
Ténéré World Raid Team – Team Manager
“It was another good day today. Rodney and Pol are both feeling good on the Ténéré 700 World Raid, which is great, especially today, as they took on the first dunes of the rally. They enjoyed having fun on the dunes and continued to fight with the leaders on 450cc prototype machines. It is essential to stay focused because we are only halfway through the rally, and anything can still happen. So, we must be consistent and continue the excellent work during Stage 5.”
