Adrien Van Beveren takes the lead in Stage 3 of the Merzouga Rally
Adrien Van Beveren returns to the sand dunes of Merzouga and makes a fiery start to his victorious run by dominating the third stage to extend his lead.
The Merzouga Rally has unveiled its curtains and Yamalube Yamaha Rally Team has secured a triumphant lead overall. Adrien Van Beveren has made his comeback in the big dunes of Morocco with his WR450F after his run in the Dakar Rally. The third stage of the rally is for 229 kilometres. It is divided into three parts: hard terrain in the first 89km, neutral for 33km and the final 107km being the most complex to get through. Adrien Van Beveren managed to top the results of stage three and now holds a 16-minute overall motorcycle class lead. Van Beveren has set sights for another victorious run in the fourth and final stage of the rally. Starting at the third grid at stage three, Van Beveren delivered an impressive performance for Yamalube Yamaha Rally Team. The Frenchman bagged his win without any issues on the bike to maintain his advantage. The rain in the morning race had taken a toll on a number of the participants in stage three. This included Michael Metge, who suffered from engine woes on his Sherco TVS at 198km into the stage. The racers will be taking Erfoud for the penultimate run via a 205.27km special stage.The current provisional overall classifications are as follows: 1. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, 11:00:49 2. Joaquim Rodrigues (PRT), Hero, 11:16:49 +16:00 3. Oriol Mena (ESP), Hero, 11:26:05 +25:16 4. Jacopo Cerutti (ITA), Husqvarna, 11:26:17 +25:28 5. Ross Branch (BWA), KTM, 11:27:44 +26:55 6.