Hat-trick in Morocco seals the fourth World Cup title for Sonik

The Morocco Rally is a lucky one for Rafał Sonik. This is the third time he participated in this rally, and so far, he took the highest place on the podium each time, and he didn’t win only two special stages. At the finish line in Agadira on Friday, Rafał celebrated not only his third win in OiLibya Rally in a row, but also the third in a row and fourth in total World Cup title in his career.

The last stage was no stroll in the park, but Rafał didn’t complain. With a smile, he talked about what had happened on the route. ‘The last time I had to drive on contaminated fuel was in Fiambala, Dakar, in 2010. Today, I experienced the same thing. While five years ago the fuel just boiled, today – it clogged my engine. As soon as I managed to drive faster – the engine jerked and stopped. After a while, I managed to get it working again. I was like a taxi – everybody passed me. I guess it took me an hour longer to complete this stage that it should…’

Still, after the win, Rafał Sonik saw the world through rose-coloured spectacles. He managed to find a positive side to his jerking quad. ‘This stage was extremely difficult in terms of navigation, and it was also dangerous. If I could go faster, I might have gotten lost several times. Like a group of bikers, who passed me, and several dozen kilometres later – I could see them behind my back, again. It was one heck of a labyrinth,’ laughed Orlen Team member.

However, the events of the last special stage didn’t matter much, because “SuperSonik” won the third rally out of the six ones held in this season (he came up second in the other three), he won in Morocco for the third time in a row, and also won the World Cup for the third time in a row. ‘I can see a lot of threes there,’ laughed Sonik. ‘Of course, I had secured this title after the Atacama Rally, but I’m superstitious and I try to stay weary until the very end. Now is the time to celebrate!’

The Morocco Rally was the last round of the World Cup season. Now, Rafał Sonik has less than three months to get ready to defend his first place at the Dakar Rally. The rally begins on 3 January in Buenos Aires and ends two weeks later in Rosario.

PKN ORLEN supports Rafał Sonik’s participation in the rally.

Results of the fourth stage:
1. Rafał Sonik (POL) 04:47.19
2. Cavadonga Fernandez Suarez (ESP) + 1:10.45
3. Eduardo Marcos Echaniz (ESP) + 01:11.12
General classification:
1. Rafał Sonik (POL) 20:56.14
2. Eduardo Marcos Echaniz (ESP) + 09:28.19
3. Cavadonga Fernandez Suarez (ESP) + 9:47.51

Final FIM World Cup Classification:
1. Rafał Sonik (POL) Yamaha 153
2. Mohamed Abu-Issa (QAT) Yamaha 95
3. Kamil Wiśniewski (POL) Yamaha 58