Sherco TVS rider Michael Metge continued his strong form at the 2019 Merzouga Rally, putting in the fastest time to take his first-ever stage win at the event. Covering around 212km – including a 145km special stage – the second stage required competitors to tackle sandy stretches, a large dune sector around Merzouga and even a mounting crossing where navigation played a key role.
Metge’s stage win now takes him up to 2nd place in the overall Moto standings. "Navigation was really hard today. I kept an eye on Adrien [Van Beveren], who navigated supremely well, to have a line to follow and keep up the pace. This helped me to win the stage. It's my first Afriquia Merzouga Rally and I'm having a blast! I hope I'll continue to have fun,” he said.
Hero Motosports’ Oriol Mena finished just behind Metge in Stage 2 to climb up to 5th place in the overall standings. Commenting on his Stage 2 result, Mena said, "I felt really well today. The second part of the special was fantastic, even more so because I didn't make any navigational mistakes. I'm not one to obsess about the result, but it's still great to do as well as I did today.”
Mena’s teammate Joaquim Rodrigues faced a few navigational challenges, but yet managed to complete Stage 2 in 4th place. This result slots him into 3rd place in the general classification. Sherco TVS’ Aravind KP endured a difficult stage owing to technical issues and is now 67th, overall, after being placed 69th in Stage 2.
Meanwhile, Abdul Wahid Tanveer, who’s participating in Enduro category for Sherco TVS, continued his good form to complete the stage in 2nd place, helping him retain 3rd place in the overall standings.
Overall standings after Stage 2
Sherco TVS
2. Michael Metge
67. Aravind KP
3. Abdul Wahid Tanveer (Enduro category)
Hero Motosports
3. Joaquim Rodrigues
5. Oriol Mena