advrider Posted October 20, 2022 Share Posted October 20, 2022 If you look at the Africa Eco Race standings, you’ll notice there are an awful lot of 450s in the event—but today’s winner was aboard a 700. Uh, sort of. Technically the T7 has a 689cc parallel twin engine, although it is possible the Yamaha racebike that Alessandro Botturi rode to today’s stage win may be big-bored. It certainly has a lot of other modifications, although it has the same top speed limitation as the 450s. Botturi proved there’s no replacement for displacement, and he also proved there is no replacement for experience. Botturi is a two-time Africa Eco Race champion, and he knows the route from Morocco to Dakar probably as well as anyone. After the stage Botturi said he hadn’t actually been trying to win the day’s racing. I am thrilled with the stage victory and to move up to third overall. It came as a bit of a surprise, as our main goal is to reach the finish line in Dakar, so this morning I was not pushing hard, especially as we have a 150km/h speed limit which takes away some of the advantages of having a two-cylinder bike. Despite this, the Ténéré performed superbly in the dunes, I found my rhythm, and I was able to take the win. Why wouldn’t Botturi want to win the stage? If you understand the mechanics of rally raid, you know that a stage win doesn’t necessarily propel you to the front of the pack. That means Botturi was first on the day, but still only second overall. Stefan Svitko is now atop the standings, and no doubt he will be contending for that lead from here on out. In turn, Botturi’s win may force him to open Stage 3 ahead of some riders he’d rather not be in front of, as that will allow them to gain time on him by following his tracks. STAGE 2 STANDINGS Etape 2 BOUSAID / TAGOUNITE Classement sur Secteur Sélectif 2 – 447,95 km – 19/10/2022 50 concurrent(s) classé(s) OVERALL STANDINGS AFTER STAGE 2 Etape 2 BOUSAID / TAGOUNITE Classement Général – 19/10/2022 50 concurrent(s) classé(s) Vezi sursa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.