The Slovak crew Benko – Sýkora finished second in the fourth stage of the Eco Africa Race 2026, which also moved them to the leading position in the overall standings in the SSV category.
The Slovak crew covered four hundred and eighty-three measured kilometers in a time of 5 hours 40 minutes and 16 seconds, which is not a bad performance at all. The stage went from the city of Assa to the Moroccan Khnifiss National Park. Its length was almost five hundred kilometers and the rider, Martin Benko, told us about what it was like on the track.
“Today was quite fun, as the first two hundred and fifty kilometers, or the first half, were quite rocky. There were more of them than we would have liked, and the rocks hit our rear brakes, so we only braked with the front brakes, which was not very pleasant. We also ran about ten kilometers more, and that’s why we were a little behind in the final. Today’s navigation was extremely difficult, so hats off to Marek, who managed everything. The second part of the stage was more suitable for big cars, there were long plains and very long straight roads. We had one puncture here, but otherwise it was fine. We are pleased to move to first place in the SSV category. We are going into the last stage of the first half of the competition with humility and a cool head.”
On Friday (30.1.2026), the participants will have their last stage before a one-day break. The route will head from Khnifiss to the city of Dakhla, where a Rest Day awaits the participants after the finish. During it, they will be able to rest, possibly take care of their equipment and repair any damage it has suffered so far. The fifth stage will certainly not be easy, as its length is planned to be almost seven hundred and seventy kilometers and the measured section included in the aforementioned length will be almost four hundred kilometers.