Learning all the time, the 35-year-old did not panic and managed to get the bike started and set off to try and make up the lost time. Despite riding on his own for the rest of the stage, he battled back to finish in eighth with a time of three hours and 30 seconds. While he relinquished his lead, he is on the provisional podium in third and trails the overall leader by 34 minutes and 46 seconds with four stages still to go.
After taking a sensational stage victory the day before, Ténéré Spirit Experience (TSE) rider Kevin Gallas showed it was no fluke. The German, who is another making his rally raid debut in Morocco, managed to secure second with a time of two hours, 36 minutes, and 11 seconds, which is even more impressive when you consider he is competing on a standard Ténéré 700 World Raid with the three-stage GYTR kit fitted, against 450cc single-cylinder prototypes. His second consecutive remarkable result saw him move up to fourth overall, just one minute and 35 seconds behind Paulin.
Fellow TSE riders Bertrand Gavard and Nicolas Charlier finished in seventh and ninth, respectively, ensuring once more a Yamaha lockout of the top five in the “Over 450” Class for the second stage out of three.
Up next is Stage 4. It is another loop from the bivouac, featuring a 198-km special, with some sections that had to be rebuilt after the heavy rain and flooding in the region and 10 km of liaisons. Once again, there is a mix of riverbeds, rocky trails, soft sand, and dunes. Navigation is set to be especially challenging because the special reuses some parts of Stage 3, and therefore, riders can’t simply follow the tracks like they would usually do.
Carta Rallye – Stage 3 Results
Carte Rallye – General Classification After Stage 3
Alessandro Botturi – P9 Overall – 10h45m10s
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team
“Today was a positive stage. I had to start way down the order after yesterday’s penalties, but I managed to pass a lot of riders and make up some good time in the general classification. It was again a tricky stage, with tough navigation, and I made a tiny mistake, but recovered quickly. I am still not physically 100%, with a fever and headache, but we will stay focused and try to make up as much time on the leaders as we can over the next few days.”
Gautier Paulin – P3 Overall – 9h48m33s
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team
“On Stage 3 I started second, and at the beginning of the stage there was a lot of dust and the navigation was tough, as there were lots of different lines and I made a small mistake finding a waypoint, but I didn’t give up, and managed to find it in the end. After the refuelling, we hit the dunes, which were a lot of fun on the Ténéré 700 Rally. Unfortunately, I had a very low-speed crash while trying to be too safe, but the bike fell upside down on top of a big dune. I had to roll it to get the bike back upright, but sadly, I got some sand in the starter button, and it wouldn’t start immediately. I was able to fix it but then had to ride on my own for the rest of the stage, so I lost quite a bit of time. But this is Rally Raid, I am still learning and enjoying every moment!”
Marc Bourgeois
Ténéré Yamaha Rally Team – Team Manager
“It was very special to have Kevin and Gautier opening Stage 3, although it made it very tough, especially with the conditions. Kevin once again impressed; he is showing great maturity, even though it is his first rally raid, and he is delighted to be riding so well. Gautier continues to learn, and today he rode for long periods on his own, which shows how much his confidence with his navigation is growing. Alessandro was amazing today. He had to start late but powered through his illness and made up lots of time in the tricky conditions. He is showing his legendary determination after the penalties he received on Stage 2, and there is a long way to go. We need to stay focused and keep pushing!”
