Elisabete Jacinto concluded today the fourth special of the 11th edition of the Africa Eco Race in which a flat tire in the MAN TGS delayed the pilot who ended up giving in the first place among the trucks, a position that she reached in yesterday’s step. Despite the setback, the portuguese remains in the fight for the leadership of the category having a small difference of 7m24s to the current leader, the Czech Tomas Tomeck. The Bio-Ritmo® team completed the fourth day of this African marathon, composed of a difficult and long route of 492.75 kilometers held between Oued Draa and Fort Chacal in 5h48m15s and was ranked 3rd among the trucks.
Elisabete Jacinto, José Marques and Marco Cochinho were able to accomplish the selective sector without any difficulties, and only one flat tire blocked their progress: “the special was beautiful and very interesting in terms of driving. But it was not easy to fulfil because the courses were winding and had a lot of stone. So, we had to move carefully so we didn’t have any problems. Despite this, we were able to ride well at a good pace, but the bad tracks degraded the tires a lot and at one point we had a flat tire and we had to stop some time to change it which delayed us a lot. Anyway, we have had some happy days because the stages have been going well and we are pleased with the good results“ revealed the Portuguese who was 12th in the auto / truck classification.
The competition for the T4 has been very lively in which the Portuguese trio has occupied a prominent position by enthusiastically discussing the first place in the category against the Belgian Igor Bouwens, the winner of the day among the trucks, and the Czech Tomas Tomecek. Having been disputed four stages of the Africa Race 2019 the Portuguese now assume the 2nd place of the overall classification of the T4 and the 8th position of the joint classification auto / truck.
Tomorrow will be accomplished the fifth stage of the Africa Eco Race that is held between Fort Chacal and Dakhla and will have a total of 638 kilometers. This will be the last stage completed on Moroccan soil and has a very fast selective sector but complex from the point of view of navigation. It will be a very pleasant way to conclude this first week of race and get to the well-deserved rest day that will be fulfilled along the Atlantic Ocean in Dakhla.
Completed on a hard and winding track, the course of this third stage was not enough to stop the Portuguese from successfully completing another step of this great African marathon: “Today was a good day. The track was fast, but rather hard because there were many areas with bumps and deep ditches where we had to slow down so we didn’t have any problems. However, we set a good pace and we were able to move fast. Without a doubt it was another good stage and so we are happy with the results achieved in this race“, said Elisabete Jacinto.
The Portuguese driver Elisabete Jacinto won today another second place in the Africa Eco Race 2019. In the special that linked La Momie to Foum Zguid, which was composed by 431,22 timed kilometers, the team Bio-Ritmo® spent 6h29m52s to complete the route of this second day of race that already included the passage of sand tracks and the crossing of dunes.
For Elisabete Jacinto the stage was tough, but the team managed to overcome the setbacks and ended the day with another positive classification: “this stage wasn’t easy because the ground was quite bad because of the stones, and it was very winding. But despite everything, we managed to make an excellent race. We only had a difficulty when at a certain point, crossing a dune, we got stuck and we had to dig what made us lose some time. However, the special went very well and, beyond this mishap, we had no other situation to report“, said the Portuguese driver.
Elisabete Jacinto reached the second position among the trucks in the first special of the Africa Eco Race 2019, a short 90-kilometer journey held between Ameziane and Merada, in Morocco. The Bio-Ritmo® team also attained the fourth place in the joint auto/truck classification, finishing the selective sector with a difference of only 1m34s for the first overall competitor, and took 1h01m20s to complete the course of the day.
For Elisabete Jacinto, this was a very positive way to start the competition: “the special was difficult in terms of navigation. But we did all very well without making mistakes and we managed to impose a good rhythm. We won several places in relation to the competitors that left before us and in the end, we reached a good position. The start for the stage was delayed because Morocco changed the entry system in the country. So, we had to carry out the formalities twice, one on the boat and the other as soon as we reached the port, which greatly delayed the competition. However, it all went well, and we are happy with this first day of racing” said Elisabete Jacinto at the end of the first stage of the Africa Eco Race 2019.
Elisabete Jacinto and the Bio-Ritmo® team celebrated today the departure of the Africa Race 2019 that took place in Monaco. Always swathed in great glamor, this event that marks the leaving of the rally from Europe is the opportunity for competitors to get together, share opinions and celebrate the beginning of this great adventure. Once again, the Victoria’s Secret former model, Adriana Karembeu, who is the godmother of the competition for the third consecutive year, gave the starting signal for this competition in an atmosphere of celebration and party near the Quai Antoine 1º.
“this moment of the start it’s a fantastic… we are happy and full of expectation. We believe that everything will work out the best way. The day on the boat passes quickly because there are always some tasks, but it serves, above all, to calm down and rest, because the days before the race are always very busy and we accumulate a lot of anxiety”, said Elisabete Jacinto.