Deep inside the dreaded Empy Quaterthe sand desert that occupies a large part of the Arabian peninsula, the pilots faced the dreaded marathon stage (here are the results). But what is this marathon? To put it simply, yesterday the riders of the Rally GP and Rally 2 category felt like the boys of the charming “Malle Moto”, now renamed Original by Motul. So no assistance (between stages 11 and 12) and only 30′ to fix the bike (1 hour for Rally 2 and Women). Not being able to get his hands on the bike, the mechanics left it to the riders to check that everything was in order and able to run today’s stage. Marathons have been introduced for a few years, to mix the cards on the table and oblige pilots not only to be “geeks” but also mechanics. Unless you have disastrous falls, this should be a simple checklistbut we wanted to know from the pilots themselves what maintenance they did and with what tools.
Skyler Howes, Husqvarna Factory Racing: “The important thing is that the bike is in good condition and that there is nothing to fix. In general, we check the oil level, that there are no leaks, we check that the spokes are tight, we make sure that the filter clean. If not, we replace it. I had a small fall on the dunes, but no big deal, luckily I didn’t suffer any damage, everything is fine. I just lubricated the chain and protected the bike from the night’s bad weather “.
Adrien Van Beveren, Monster Energy Honda Rally Team: “I didn’t check anything in particular, just the oil level, the clutch adjustment and in general I went around the bike to make sure everything was as it should be. We brought some Motul oil with us just in case , with Nacho and Pablo we team up and therefore we don’t all carry a large amount of oil, we can help each other”.
