Matthias Walkner Takes Back the Lead in the Morocco Rally
In a thrilling turn of events during the Morocco Rally, Matthias Walkner has successfully reclaimed the overall lead in the T4-SSV category. The talented Austrian rider, accompanied by his Spanish co-driver Oriol Mena, clinched victory in the fourth stage of the rally on Friday, propelling them back to the top of the leaderboard just ahead of the final stage. The margin of their lead is breathtakingly slim, standing at a mere one second.
Entering the 318-kilometer stage, Walkner and Mena were trailing behind the frontrunner, Argentina's Jeremias Gonzalez Ferioli, by a substantial 5 minutes and 26 seconds. However, demonstrating exceptional skill and determination, the Austrian-Spanish duo managed to overcome this deficit by 5 minutes and 27 seconds, marking their second stage win in this year's rally.
Reflecting on their performance, Walkner expressed satisfaction, stating, "Today was the best day we’ve had so far. We have learned a lot from our mistakes in the previous days." He noted that particularly in the more technical segments of the course, he focused on making up for lost time. Furthermore, he highlighted the improving synergy with Mena, commenting, "I can feel that the communication between Oriol and myself has significantly improved, and our setup is getting better with each stage."
The road to success was not without its challenges. On the preceding day, Walkner lost considerable time due to a navigation error approximately 30 kilometers into the stage, compounded by two tire punctures. Although he managed to recover some of the lost time, a subsequent neutralization of the stage—triggered by a severe accident involving another competitor—resulted in an additional two minutes being added to his overall time due to regulations set by the International Automobile Federation (FIA).
Despite his dissatisfaction with the time penalty, Walkner remains focused on the upcoming finale. "Of course, I’m very pleased that we narrowly secured the lead, but in the automotive category, things can change rapidly," he remarked. The decisive conclusion of the rally is set for Saturday, featuring a final stage of 259 kilometers, commencing and concluding in Zagora. With just a second advantage, Walkner and Mena are poised to battle fiercely for the title in the T4-SSV class. As of now, the results from the fourth stage remain unofficial.
As reported by sport.orf.at.
