Stage three results from the 2023 Rallye du Maroc, the final round of the World Rally-Raid Championship, where Tosha Schareina wins the day and the title race heats up as Toby Price takes over the race lead and virtual standings over rival Luciano Benavides.  

Results were a long time becoming official tonight, a huge entry list doesnt help shorten the days for the organisers. Stage three of the 2023 Rallye du Maroc was a fast one and saw riders face a 439km route with 333km of timed special to contend with.

It was a stage which event director and course planner David Castera said would be a “fast and long stage stretching for over 300 kilometres. We looked for variations on a region we already knew well and found some nice new sectors. It’s a great special with plenty of variety within a consistent whole.”

Stage two winner Tosha Schareina has bounced back from a navigation error on stage one to again race at the front today. He was joined there by Nacho Cornejo leading for much of the day but Price stayed on it to split the Honda pairing.

The top three on yesterday’s stage two (Schareina, Price and Cornejo) maintained their status today with speed on the fast stage but also benefitting from the bonus point system which added almost six, four and two minutes respectively for the top three.

Second on the stage, three minutes down, Price takes the lead with a near-four-minute advantage and two stages left to race ahead of Hero Motorsports’ Ross Branch and Honda’s Pablo Quintanilla.

Price’s day looked a little like this…

Toby Price: “Not a bad day for me today, the 330 kilometers went pretty quick, so the average speed was a lot faster. But for sure, it was really rocky out there. The bike felt really good the whole day and I was able to keep up a good speed. I did make a couple of little navigation mistakes, but on the whole everything went well. The bonus time helps, but of course to get that you have to be out front and opening the stage, which can prove really hard. All in all, I’m happy with how I’m riding, and I know I’m giving it everything, so whether I come first or second at the end, I’ll be happy that I did my best.”

Two stages to decide the title

The biggest question this week in Morocco (apart from riders crashing out – more on that below) is the World Rally-Raid Championship fight between Luciano Benavides and Price. The two were separated by nine points coming into the rally thanks to some bad luck on Toby’s side in part.

The virtual standings are getting tight though and as it stands tonight, Price has a three-point lead. The next two days and how the riders swing to and fro is going to be fascinating.

What could be crucial is Red Bull KTM teammate Mathias Walkner crashing out of the rally within 350 metres of the start this morning. He walked away but his bike was done and the Austrian joins Skyler Howes, Ricky Brabec and Sam Sunderland on the big-hitters retirement list.

Why is Walkner important here? He could have, and was, placed between Price and Benavides in the overall standings and was making a crucial difference to the points tally.

Price will hope that Cornejo and Schareina continue their form through the remaining days to jump ahead of Benavides in the final classification – and they are close – to ease the burden.

It would be some payback for Luciano’s brother Kevin snatching the Dakar win from Toby by seconds on the final stage last January. The Argentinian meanwhile will hope Nacho and Tosha will do that one better than that and overtake the Aussie.

Romain Dumontier continues to hunt Rally2 class leader Bradley Cox for the second-tier result. The Frenchman won R2 in P9 overall today but South Arican Cox has an almost nine minute lead.

EnduroGP Women’s World Champion Jane Daniels continues to impress in her debut major rally race. The Fantic rider finished inside the top 40 today and is 57th overall.

2023 Rallye du Maroc stage 3 results:

rally_du_maroc_stage_3_results_1rally_du_maroc_stage_3_results_2

 

Overall classification after stage 3 (top 10):

1. Toby Price KTM, 10:26:00

2. Ross Branch Hero, 10:29:48

3. Pablo Quintanilla Honda, 10:31:09

4. Luciano Benavides Husqvarna, 10:33:50

5. Tosha Schareina Honda, 10:33:54

6. I Cornejo Honda, 10:36.51

7. L Santolino Sherco, 10:40.20

8. A V Beveren Honda, 10:52.42

9. B Cox KTM, 11:12.52

10. R Dumontier KTM, 11:20.32

 

Photo Credit: Ingine Creators + Honda Racing Corporation + A.S.O | DPPI