On Friday, participants of the South African Safari Rally faced the longest single-day distance—over 600 kilometers in total, including a 224-kilometer special stage. According to the CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team riders, this stage was particularly good and exciting. The organizers managed to blend sections reminiscent of enduro, trial, and rally-raid disciplines into one route.
Once again, both team riders recorded the fastest times in their class and even finished in the overall motorcycle & quad Top 20. Antanas Kanopkinas placed 17th, and Gaëtan Martinez 18th overall. The teammates finished less than five minutes apart.
“In the first part of the stage, I pushed hard, and I think Gaëtan made a small mistake, so I caught up to him and rode about 100 kilometers behind in the dust. Over the final 30 kilometers, we swapped places, and I got to enjoy that stretch. The route was really good and diverse. Lots of enduro and trial elements. We had a great time and managed to post a strong result overall,” said A. Kanopkinas after the finish.
- Martinez agreed with his teammate, adding that the day was excellent: “Another 224 kilometers done. The first part was smoother, then we entered a more technical section where I made a small mistake and Antanas caught up. We finished the rest of the stage together. There were some tricky parts—steep and rocky—but I really enjoyed it.”
Saturday marks the final day of this World Rally-Raid Championship round. The riders will cover 216 kilometers, with 118 kilometers of special stage. Both the start and finish will be in Sun City. The CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team riders currently hold a firm grip on the top positions in the quad category.
