Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team riders Hélder Rodrigues and Adrien Van Beveren met in Doha, the capital of Qatar, for the Sealine Cross Country Rally (SCCR). The five day event, the second of the 2016 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, will run from April 18th to 22th and will take the athletes on a 1650-kilometre journey across challenging routes. During this journey the WR450F Rally riders will once again have the chance to prove their endurance and navigational skills whilst crossing sand dunes and rocky soils in a desert landscape.
The experienced Hélder Rodrigues, who is feeling confident after his Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge stage win, will ride alongside young talent Adrien Van Beveren, who is now part of the Official Yamaha Racing team. Van Beveren started his career transition to rally-raids earlier this year with a successful start of the season as he finished sixth overall in the Dakar Rally for his rookie race. Later in January he went on to write history when he clinched a brilliant win at the legendary bike race, the Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais, for the third time in a row. The Frenchman is making his return to competitive rally riding in Qatar, on the Yamaha WR450F Rally.
After gaining experience in Dubai’s rally in the beginning of April, the Yamaha Racing mechanics have continued development on the Yamaha WR450F Rally bike and the SCCR mixed tracks are the perfect opportunity to put the bike to the test.
To strengthen Yamaha Racing’s performance on the rally-raid scene for the 2016-2017 seasons, Jordi Arcarons has joined the Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team to take on the role of Sport Manager and work alongside Team Manager José Leloir. As an ex-rally-raid professional rider and Dakar competitor, Arcaron’s knowledge will be a strong asset to the team. The veteran participated 16 times in the most demanding rally in the world, the Dakar, securing six podium finishes. The Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team riders will now be relying on his experience and skills in racing analytics. They will be able to count on him for their daily road-book preparations and taking the necessary measures to enable them to handle the physical and psychological strain during long competitions.
