Sardegna Legend Rally has been a dream of off-road and rally riders for 12 consecutive years and that hasn’t changed a bit. The rally and not the race took place in Arbatax, the base of the 12th edition of the most competitive non-competition. During three stages 120 riders from 5 countries with Alessandro Botturi and Carlos Checa leading the pack, tackled 639 km of beautiful yet difficult Sardinian tracks.
The formula of the Legend Rally has remained the same over all 11 years since its birth and also the 12th edition of the Legend Rally remained true to its original philosophy. Being part of the Legend Rally is a great privilege: 639 kilometers of the route offered plenty of pleasure, plenty of challenge and, for some riders, the Legend Rally is also a great training opportunity for the upcoming Dakar. Many participants traveled to Sardinia directly from Morocco where they battled in the desert tracks of Panafrica and Rally Oilibya, the last round of the FIM Cross-Country World Championship.
Three stages of the Legend Rally led the participants to the most hidden and the wildest corners of Sardinia from Tortolì to Fonni, to the tracks traditionally used for the notorious Sardegna Rally Race. Just a reminder: the crown of the 10th edition of Sardegna was taken by the great Alessandro Botturi, the star of the 12th edition of the Legend. “Bottu” has found himself in a different role at evenings, after the mandatory briefings, sharing his navigational knowledge – the tricks and tips the riders will use in their future adventures. In addition, Botturi took care of two great champions, Carlos and David Checa, special guests of this year’s Legend Rally. The two Catalan riders are big experts in the racetrack, while they are taking their first off-road steps. At least for David Checa, the Endurance and SuperBike champion, the Legend Rally was the very first rally in his life, and according to “Bottu” he did a great job.
Anyway, the Legend Rally wouldn’t be so legendary if there weren’t some special notes in the road-book in terms of “ristoro”, the lunch point halfway of the stage, to eat, to relax and to socialize. Whether they admit it or not, the break in the middle of the stage is one of the highlights of this amazing rally. With an empty stomach you are faster, but with a fuller one, you are more satisfied, and that’s a fact. In the Legend Rally the stopwatch doesn’t count, so coffee and a little nap at the refueling points are allowed as at the finish line nobody will ask you about your time. The winner of the Legend Rally is simply everyone who had a blast.
Antonello Chiara, one of the rally organizers together with Gianrenzo Bazzu (Bike Village)said: “It’s very difficult to improve something which is already quite perfect. This rally is a unique opportunity to explore the hidden Sardegna in the saddle of enduro bike, quad or even behind the wheel of a side by side. Saying that the three special guests, Alessandro Botturi, Carlos and David Checa were only the cherry on the cake. And of course, we made a cake for Carlos …”
Carlos Checa, who celebrated his 45th birthday tackling the third stage of the rally, added: “It’s been a relaxing ride. I came to enjoy and Sardegna is a really amazing place. I couldn’t imagine a better way to celebrate my birthday.”
Moral of the story? Keep calm and go to Sardegna Legend Rally!
