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As has been the case every day since the start of the event , three motorbike headlights were seen on the horizon by the control point officials and journalists . They were bike numbers 103 , 111 and 113 , namely Botturi , Cerutti , and Tarres . The two Yamaha ’ s and Aprilia . For the moment , these three riders were unable to decide between themselves on the track . Victory should have gone to Botturi ahead of Cerutti and Tarres . But a six-minute penalty for excessive speed in a controlled zone deprived Botturi of victory and relegated him to seven minutes behind Cerutti . It was an unwelcome penalty two days from the finish for the only rider to be free of any penalties since the start of the rally .
The performance of the day went to Pedrero . The Harley rider set off in 23rd position . After a crash at kilometre forty , the Spanish giant put in a strong attack , including in the dunes , to claim the nineth fastest time of the day . A real achievement when you consider that the course was far from ideal for the ‘ big ’ bike . Up until this point the rally had been spared of any issues from the weather . Unfortunately , on the Friday morning , for the 10th stage , a violent wind swept across the Amodjar plateau causing a sandstorm that prevented the organisation ’ s helicopters from taking off . Without a helicopter , it was impossible to ensure optimum safety and to monitor the race , so the decision was taken to send the competitors to the petrol station from where the start was given . As a result , the 387-kilometre special stage was shortened by 190 kilometres , cutting out the section of dunes planned for the start of the stage .
After yesterday ’ s six-minute penalty for Botturi , it was fair to say that the Blu Cru were in low spirits . Indeed , it would have been difficult to take back those six minutes from Cerruti , the Aprilia rider , who has been imperious since the start of the rally . Despite this , Botturi gave his all on his Yamaha to win the special stage with a time of almost two and a half minutes to his rival , meaning he was now just four minutes thirty-eight seconds behind in the overall standings .
Organisers announced on the previous night during the briefing that the 11th stage would not be easy , both in terms of navigation and terrain . As often is the
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