The bikers’ biggest opponent was again the wind at the third stage of HunGarian Baja, but at least the road was a bit dried up, so the splashes and the mud caused less problem for them. Nobody could be equal to Stefan Svitko again, although Alessandro Ruoso came up to the second place.
‘The second stage was much better, both the weather and the track improved a lot’ said Svitko. ‘However, we had to cope with the wind again, there were huge blasts, it was difficult to control the bike. I think this is a perfect training for the Dakar, which I will compete at for the ninth times.’
It helped a lot for Alessandro Ruoso that he knew the stage. ‘I was pleased with my result, and I do believe that I can hold this position, because it is extremely important considering the overall championships.’
Adrien Maré also tunes up for the Dakar and it is good news for him that his bike passed the exam, at least up to now. ‘I was warmed up by the second stage and the road was also clearer, I do not know how, probably the cars had cleaned it up. I enjoyed the afternoon session more, the bike developed specially for the Dakar is wonderful, although we are just getting acquainted with each other.’
The best Hungarian is Richárd Hodola by his fifth place in European championships classification. ‘I felt much better now. I caught up one of the quad drivers at the beginning of the stage, although he unsettled me a bit. I felt I was much faster than in the morning, but in fact I improved only 1-2 minutes.’
HUNGARIAN BAJA, WORLD CUP RACE
Overall classification after 3 stages. Bikes: 1. Stefan Svitko (Slovakian, KTM) 3:28:56, 2. Ruoso (Italian, KTM) +11:55 min, 3. Brabec (Polish, Husqvarna)+ 12:59 min.
