Second leg of this edition of the ORPI Morocco rally, and already a big scare for Benoît Rousselot, whose vehicle suffered from engine misfires. Nevertheless, the Nancy-based driver managed to limit the damage, and still retains the lead of the category, ahead of Serguey Sukhovenko in Team Nissan Dessoude’s other Nissan Pathfinder. Isabelle Patissier ran a careful race, and set the 11th fastest time – which is also her position in the overall classification this evening.

The second leg of the 6th edition of the ORPI Morocco Rally, between Oued Chebika and Laayoune, consisted of just one special stage, 351 km long, without any service possibilities. The route, which includes a number of difficulties, delighted the competitors. Over this intense stage, Isabelle Patissier played it cautiously. Setting the 11th fastest time, she has risen three places in the overall classification and is now just outside the Top Ten.

«Today’s timed sector was longer, but the stage was really beautiful. We went through a section identical to last year. There was quite a lot of navigation in some sections, but as always, Thierry was perfect. Apart from a slight overheating problem with the oil temperature, we didn’t have any problems. The main issue on this sort of stage is to find the right pace, without pushing too much in order to take care of the car, while still making progress. The track was quite tricky in some sections, as it was narrow. If the car goes in too quickly, it slides, and you immediately have to pay the price. Today, we really enjoyed ourselves… »

Benoît Rousselot and Jacky Dubois had quite a fright today… After just 70 km of the special stage, problems with the engine management surfaced. The Nissan Pathfinder managed to reach the finish line, limiting the damage caused. Thanks to the fine lead he had built up the day before, Benoît kept the lead of the category, just ahead of Serguey Sukhovenko in the other Team Dessoude Nissan Pathfinder (who set the fastest time today).

«The day was not that good … but at least we saved something from the situation ! After just 70 km, the oil pressure lamp came on. We stopped to see what was happening. We got going again, noticing that we had a few misfires. It was impossible to go at full power. It appears as if the problem is coming from a faulty sensor. A similar sort of problem to Tunisia. We had to take care of things and hope to reach the finish, but the stage seemed very long. We drove at a slower pace with just one aim : to get to the end. I think that we actually came out of it quite well. The day was very worrying, even stressful. We’ve lost time, but kept the lead of the T2 category. There is a good fight in the category, and tomorrow will be a very important day. »

According to Jacky Dubois, his pupil, Rousselot, is continuing his rigourous apprenticeship : «We started off really well, on the perfect pace. It is really a shame that we had those problems. Benoît was driving well. The most important thing is that we limited the damage and got back. But tomorrow will be another day…”

As Jacky Dubois said, tomorrow will be another day, with this time two special stages between Laayoune and Oued Chebika.
This leg’s first special stage, a loop, will start with 50 km of total off-road. The small twenty-kilometre Erg which gave so many problems to some competitors last year is once again on the menu. Coming out of the dunes, a wide track marked with large cairns will allow the fastest cars to fully express themselves, before going back to off-road for the last 20 kilometres. The first part of the second special stage, 60 km long, will be off-road on the beach, and will take the competitors to the Amgriou fishing village. The cars will have to find their way through the abandoned hulls of shipwrecks. After this section, a total change of direction, heading due east to get back on tarmac roads and the assistance park. After this point, the track will go along the impressive Sebkha Tah depression, which is located at 55 metres under sea level, before getting back on a faster track, leading to a small sandy hill which could prove tricky to cross… The competitors will then go down into another depression before climbing up onto the plateau and starting another off-track section. Finally, they have to find the pass before starting a winding descent towards the finish line of this third stage. Another fine day in prospect …