Aprilia heeft Historie geschreven
http://www.aprilia.com/en-US/News/56731/lopez_and_aprilia_go_down_in_history%2b.aspxMOTORALLY, LOPEZ AND APRILIA GO DOWN IN HISTORY
“Chaleco” Lopez takes the Aprilia RXV 4.5 of Team Giofil to a historical victory in the Rally of Tunisia. The Chilean rider writes his name in the golden book of rally cross country, in front of Marc Coma and Jakub Przygonzki. This is the first absolute victory for Aprilia.
DOUZ – It is done! At the end of the Rally of Tunisia, on top of a dune a little bit south from El Fouar, Francisco Lopez was finally released all tensions accumulated during the six days of the race that now seems like a ghost as he has reached his goal, but not before six days were he had to take care of each detail to be able to get to the end.
Fracisco Lopez and his Aprilia RXV had reached a historical victory in the Rally of Tunisia! This is the first time the Chilean rider wins a leg of the Cross Country World Championship, a triumph after a long road since 2005, the year he started in the discipline, and the first for Aprilia and its RXV 4.5, a bike that seems to be born for the sand and the desert. It´s been about two years from the Pharaon´s Rally 2008, the first African race of Noale´s bike that has been improved from reaching the third place in the Dakar 2010 to arrive now to a fantastic victory in Tunisia.
The dream of Filippo Assirelli, Team Giofil Aprilia Racing´s manager, who has created the rally project from it´s very beginning, continues without interruption: “Now I believe the impossible: Chaleco has been outstanding. Besides being wonderful rider, he is a fantastic person with whom we have a tight relationship. He has shown to be a complete rider, someone who knows how to manage a race. I think his adventure with Aprilia and the team has given a new stimulation and an inner calm that have allowed this performance.” Today´s result goes to a second place, but the thoughts are in organizing the party in Douz. This last stage was a 132 km special section between Ksar Ghilane and Douz, with the finish at the Berber of El Fouar, crossing the beautiful white dunes. Chaleco started fourth, he reached Przygonski after a few kilometers, but preferred not to try to catch Marc Coma, who has done the stage at an excellent pace.
In fact, he joined the Polish rider again, doing all the last part of the stage with him. It was difficult because of the soft sand and a horrible sand storm that hits the South of Tunisia, which delayed the start of today for half an hour. Nevertheless, Chaleco finished third of the stage, nine minutes behind Coma, but this time difference was not enough to reach the trio Chaleco/Aprilia/ Team Giofil at the highest step of the podium of a victory that everybody will talk, and that has broken the supremacy of KTM that lasted for a long time.
Francisco Lopez: “Today was a very difficult stage, even if it wasn´t long. The wind erased the traces and navigation was complicated, so to find the right direction wasn´t easy at all. Now that I am here I am extremely happy, it is my first victory in a Cross Country Rally World Championship race, and I´m glad for each and every person that has contributed to this progress. I would like to dedicate this victory to my father, who I owe my entire career as a bike riders. And also Aprilia and Team Giofil that had trusted me: The bike is fantastic and we are improving it with the Dakar as our main goal.”
SPECIAL STAGE RESULTS
1. Marc Coma (Ktm) in 1h46’18’’
2. Helder Rodrigues (Yamaha) a 5’29
3. CHALECO LOPEZ (APRILIA RXV 4.5) a 9’25
4. Jakub Przygonski (Ktm) a 11’37
5. Jacek Czachor (KTM) a 15’13
OVERALL FINAL CLASSIFICATION
1. CHALECO LOPEZ (APRILIA RXV 4.5) in 16h59’52
2. Marc Coma (Ktm) a 11’06
3. Jakub Przygonski (Ktm) a 22’29
4. Jacek Czachor (KTM) a 1h29’30
5. David Casteu (Sherco 450) a 1h34’22
