Brazilian rider Zé Hélio dominated the early going of the Rally dos Sertoes until a stone shattered his victory hopes. The rally is the second longest behind the Dakar and part of the Cross Country Rally World Championship.
Zé Hélio gave his debut for the German Speedbrain Rally Team. The multitime Sertoes winner-s race weapon has been built based on the BMW 450 X. Zé Hélio displayed blitzing speed already in the prologue, where he placed runnerup to fellow countryman Felipe Zanol. He went on to capture the first stage win the very next day, taking the chequered flag three minutes ahead of rally legend Marc Coma aboard his KTM 690. Zé Hélio wasn-t quite as successful during stage two. He followed the wrong route, but still maintained his leadership position. Stage number three then saw Zé Hélio extend his lead until a stone hit his bike and damaged the oil line. The engine lost all its liquid and Zé Hélio failed to reach the finish on his own.
Suddenly his dream of winning had gone out the window. A devastated Zé Hélio began the next day in the national class, meaning he had to start from the back of the pack. The Brazilian had to bite a lot of dust, yet his team used the opportunity to test the new bike and gain valuable competition time. Despite the now difficult circumstances, Zé Hélio scored a remarkable third place during the marathon stage, where he had to come from way behind again.
Ramon Volkart, the second Speedbrain BMW rider finished the Sertoes in ninth place. Volkart used a stock bike that had been optimised with a Speedbrain kit. Without any technical problems and after 4,500 kilometers, he was able to earn second place in the super production class (up to 450cc).
Zé Hélio: “I-d like to thank Speedbrain and the whole team for the great bike. I was in a position to win the race until disaster struck. It was not about the bike though, which has tremendous potential. I am impressed with the engine and the way the bike handles in the sand. An additional thanks goes to BMW Brazil. I hope to receive such support in the future as well.”