Mário Patrão radiant: «I managed to get Portugal to the podium» – Dakar
16:07
Portuguese won the veterans class and got 3rd place in the Original by Motul class
This Sunday Mário Patrão closed his Dakar’2023 campaign with a seventh place in the last stage, which allowed him to finish on the podium of the Original by Motul category, intended for pilots who face the most difficult cross-country rally in the world without any external help . In addition to the third final position, the Portuguese also ended up winning in the veterans’ category, which left him naturally satisfied, even though the last day was anything but easy. “The course of this final stage had a lot of mud and a lot of water, because in the last few days there was a lot of rain. There was an area where several riders were buried by the mud and I was too. The bike was full of mud to the point that the wheels started to stick I knew I had to push the engine to finish and I wanted to burn the clutch. Then I had to be very careful, when I accelerated the bike was spinning. It was a demanding and physically exhausting challenge. It was fighting until the last second to get the victory that I worked so hard to achieve”, explains the Portuguese pilot. “What was supposed to be a celebration stage of consecration, was after all a lot of work, but I’m happy with the victory achieved and the ‘malle moto’ podium. I thank everyone who supported me and especially the sponsors who believed in me I got Portugal to reach the podium”, he concluded.
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