SAM SUNDERLAND OVERCOMES PRE-RACE CRASH TO SAFELY COMPLETE STAGE ONE AT RALLYE DU MAROC

RED BULL GASGAS FACTORY RACING RIDER KICKS OFF THE FINAL ROUND OF THE FIM WORLD RALLY-RAID CHAMPIONSHIP WITH 18TH FASTEST TIME



Sam Sunderland overcomes pre-race crash to complete stage one
GASGAS racer completes tough opening special at Rallye du Maroc
Tomorrow’s stage is scheduled to cover 296 kilometers against the clock


As the ninth fastest rider on yesterday’s prologue, Sam Sunderland showed that he had the pace to run up front at this year’s Rallye du Maroc and carried that same speed into the opening special. Starting off strong and initially staying in touch with the leaders, the RX 450F racer wisely slowed his pace near the end of the stage to ensure a safe finish.

Andreas Hölzl – Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racing Team Manager: “Unfortunately, Sam struggled today because of a crash earlier in the week while roadbook training. Initially his recovery was going really good and we were optimistic, but as we’ve seen today, he’s really struggling. He’s not feeling great which is the main problem. It's nothing serious, he’s just a little sore and struggling to recover from his unfortunate crash this week.”

Download images from the 2023 Rallye du Maroc here.

Results Rallye du Maroc – stage 1 (provisional)

1. Ross Branch (Hero) 3:13:17
2. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) 3:14:58
3. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 3:17:35
18. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS) 3:49:29

Provisional Standings – Rallye du Maroc (after stage 1)

1. Ross Branch (Hero) 4:08:42
2. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) 4:11:23
3. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 4:14:20
18. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS) 4:47:24

PRESS CONTACT

PR Manager OFFROAD
Motorsports
press.offroad@gasgas.com
+43 676 5030588