Safety first: that was the motto today during the sixth stage of the Morocco Desert Challenge. Due to unpredictable weather conditions and strong gusts of wind, the organizers were forced to intervene. From kilometer 200 onwards, the stage was neutralised. The closure of the airport in Zagora meant that medical evacuation by helicopter could no longer be guaranteed. A disappointment for many, as the stage had promised to be a beautiful rally day, with its mix of rocky terrain, fast tracks, and a 20-kilometre dune section.
Until the neutralisation point, however, there was plenty of action, with the Dutch participants in particular shining. In the SSV class, no fewer than two Dutch teams secured podium finishes. In the car category, Michiel Becx and Wouter de Graaff took the stage win, while in the truck category, victory also went to the Netherlands, thanks to Kay Huzink and his team. In the motorcycle category, there was no Dutch presence in the top five, but Gerben Lieverdink rode steadily to finish in eleventh place.
Spanish victory in the bikes, Lieverdink steady in midfield
The motorcyclists faced a tough challenge in the first part of the stage. Erosion gullies, rocky plateaus, and treacherously fast tracks pushed both rider and machine to the limit.
The stage victory went to Spain’s Arnau Lledo, who guided his KTM to the (earlier than planned) finish in 2 hours, 8 minutes, and 18 seconds. Frenchman Amaury Baratin followed four minutes behind, with his compatriot Valentin Sertilhanges taking third place. The top five was completed by Nicolas Horeaux and Ivan Stocker.
The Dutch riders did not play a leading role in the motorcycle class today. The best Dutch finisher was Gerben Lieverdink, who ended the day in eleventh place, continuing his consistent performance in this demanding rally.
Double Dutch podium in the SSVs
The SSV category belonged to the Dutch today. Mitchel van den Brink and Bart van Heun convincingly took the win with a time of 1 hour, 57 minutes, and 42 seconds. They were nearly three minutes faster than fellow countrymen Erik van Loon and Wouter Rosegaar, who finished second.
Van Loon was satisfied afterwards but saw room for improvement: “We took no risks and kept the car intact. Averaging over 100 km/h, you’re almost constantly at the limit.” Thanks to their strong performance, the duo also climbed to second place in the overall standings.
The top five was further completed by the South African duo Geoff Minnitt and Rodney Burke, the Portuguese team of Paulo Rodrigues and Fausto Mota, and the French team of Philippe Pinchedez and Paul Durame.
Further down the field, the Dutch presence remained strong: Henk and Pim Klaassen guided their Taurus to a respectable seventh place, while Lex Peters and Mark Salomons clocked the eighth-fastest time.
Becx and De Graaff continue to impress
The Dutch dominance continued in the car category. Michiel Becx and Wouter de Graaff were the fastest in their Century buggy, finishing in 1 hour, 49 minutes, and 57 seconds. They held off Frenchman Simon Vitse by just 34 seconds. The French duo Lionel and Lucie Baud secured third place.
The top five also featured Agostino Rizzardi and Claudio Fenati in fourth, and Roger Grouwels and Rudolf Meijer in fifth place. Grouwels and Meijer, also representing the Netherlands, further fueled Dutch pride.
Just outside the top five, Janus van Kasteren and Marcel Snijders finished sixth. Rik van den Brink and Gydo Heimans (seventh), and Mike van Eikeren and Jasper Riezebos (eighth), were also close behind.
Huzink fastest, Van den Brink claims second place
In the truck category, it was a celebration for Kay Huzink, who, together with Joël Ebbers and Martin Roesink, clocked the fastest time of 2 hours, 7 minutes, and 31 seconds. They finished four and a half minutes ahead of Martin van den Brink and his team, despite receiving a one-minute penalty.
Third place went to Egbert Wingens, also in an IVECO. With this result, the top three was an all-orange affair, a fantastic achievement for the Dutch teams in this tough truck category.
However, the absence of a familiar name in the results was also striking: the team of Gert Huzink, together with Hugo Kupper and Mario Kress, came in fourteenth after just over an hour at the first waypoint. After that, however, they disappeared from the results.
Gert Huzink himself explained what went wrong: “Yes, a few pipes burned. Eventually we were able to continue driving, but with many malfunctions and so we drove straight to the bivouac to see if all the malfunctions could be fixed.” The problems arose after a small fire in the truck, caused by a stone hitting the diesel filter. This caused diesel to leak over the red-hot brakes. Fortunately, the Klaassen brothers came to the rescue with a fire extinguisher.
Dune spectacle in Foum Zguid
Tomorrow promises to be a spectacular day as the rally heads into the dunes of Erg Chegaga. With over 75 kilometers of sand and breathtaking landscapes, the participants face a true test of endurance. It is the penultimate stage of the rally, and with the battle for podium places still wide open, no one can afford to slip up.
