Stage 3 of the 2025 Tuareg Rallye was all about the dunes. From the bivouac in Mhamid, competitors tackled a loop stage through the legendary Erg Chegaga dune area. The terrain offered a classic rally experience: endless ascents and descents through soft sand, alternated with fast tracks and treacherous fesh-fesh on the return leg to the bivouac.
Navigation proved to be complex. GPS waypoints were hard to find and tracks from various classes crisscrossed continuously, causing confusion. Still, for most participants, the stage went relatively smoothly—at least, if the machinery held up.
Team Broomans out with damage
After earlier success—and some mud trouble—Team Broomans ran into issues again today. A broken front suspension ruined their stage. The team was unable to finish and received the standard stage time. With that, a top spot in the general classification is likely out of reach, though three more beautiful days remain in the Moroccan landscapes.
Strong day for the Dutch motorbike riders
Among the bikers, the Dutch once again showed their strength. Robert van Pelt won the stage after riding for 4:12:09, followed by Rob van Pelt about half an hour later, finishing in 4:43:02. More Dutch riders slotted in between, with Wouter de Graaff putting in a consistent effort, clocking 4:40:57. Bart van Olst (4:36:17) and Martijn van der Laan (4:34:52) also had solid performances in the sand.
Richard Wijntjes, Lennart Eikelboom, Wil Wouters, and Jan van den Hout all finished within 7 hours—despite missing a checkpoint and receiving penalty time.
A notable absentee was Ian Olthof. The winner of Stage 2 didn’t start today, resulting in the maximum stage time of 18:00:00. It’s still unclear what went wrong.
Robert van Olst logged a respectable 6:00:07, while Guillaume Martens made his mark despite a long day, finishing in 10:20:15.
SSV’s: Keppens still on track
In the SSV class, Keppens / Keppens once again delivered a solid run with a time of 4:14:28, maintaining their position in the standings. Lolkema / Peters came in after 4:47:55 and seem to have found their rhythm.
Team van der Valk keeps going
In the car category, Team van der Valk had a steady day. They crossed the line in 8:26:17—not a top result, but a much-needed finish in a rally where every kilometer counts.
Up next: less dunes, more speed?
Stage 4 brings another loop around Mhamid. While sand will still be part of the challenge, it is expected that the focus will shift slightly toward faster tracks and away from the heavy dunes.
