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Rodrigues Brings Yamaha Closer To The Top After Stage Three At Merzouga Rally | News

Taking full advantage of his rally racing experience Helder Rodrigues tackled a long and demanding stage three at the Merzouga Rally to cross the finish line as the day's runner-up.

Living up to the challenge of opening many parts of the day’s special stage, Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team’s Adrien Van Beveren finished fourth.

For the third consecutive day the duo of Helder Rodrigues and Adrien Van Beveren battled their way through extreme heat to put Yamaha and the WR450F Rally machine one step closer to the top. Rodrigues rode a smart and well-calculated race during stage three to post the second fastest time in the day’s special stage. Climbing two spots in the overall rankings, the Portuguese rider provisionally sits second in the overall standings just 01:37” behind leader Stefan Svitko.

Looking to make the most of this event to further improve his navigational skills, Adrien Van Beveren reached the marathon bivouac at the end of stage three having posted the fourth fastest time of the day. After three long stages in the dunes of Morocco the French rider is currently fourth in the overall standings, a little more than three minutes behind the provisional top three.

The end of stage three sees the Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team riders spend the night at the Atlas marathon bivouac, where they are obliged to perform all maintenance on their WR450F Rally machines without any external assistance. Set to kick off tomorrow morning, stage four features a timed special of 204 km as all competitors head to the end of this two-day-long marathon stage in Erfoud.