
Rally competition littered the international landscape last week with all the major factory teams and Dakar athletes navigating their way across deserts in Abu Dhabi and Morocco and there were some standout achievements from the stars of the Monster Energy collective. Yamaha’s Adrien Van Beveren was the protagonist of the tenth Merzouga Rally in north Africa, winning three stages, and Monster Energy HRC’s Jose Ignacio Cornejo made the final step of the podium in the first round of the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship.
‘Nacho’ carried the flag for the might of the Honda crew with teammates Kevin Benavides and Joan Barreda ailing through training injuries and a spate of fractured ribs and sore shoulders.
The Chilean barely eased off the throttle through the 1300km course in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and claimed two outright victories by ploughing across some demanding hours and sections in the sand.