Barreda Marks Fastest Time

Rally of Morocco

www.mxlarge.com Joan Barreda on

ce again has taken control of the OiLibiya Rally of Morocco. The Spanish rider on the CRF450 RALLY marked the fastest time in a hazardous fifth stage, bringing Team HRC’s tally to four out of five stage wins.

The rally caravan journeyed on today with the rally’s longest stage, setting off from Zagora before winding its way into the mountainous Draa area, and finishing up some 512 kilometres later in Ourzazate, which featured 302 km of timed special. The route was in complete contrast to yesterday’s – the dunes being replaced by rock-filled narrow and treacherous track.

Joan Barreda was, for the fourth time, the fastest of the race, setting a storming pace that allowed him to close down on the front-runners. In doing so, Barreda moves up into fourth place in the overall standings with just tomorrow’s stage in Marrakech still left to run.

Hélder Rodrigues, likewise, performed well in spite of the numerous dangers. The Portuguese Honda took place on the day, and looks poised to hold on to his podium place as the title chase looks forward to tomorrow’s grand finale with 113 kilometres of special.

Sublime fifth stage also for Laia Sanz. The Spanish rider had her best day out so far in the world championship, finishing in eleventh place, climbing two places on the overall leader-board.

Jeremías Israel continues to perform well in the later half of the rally, but had an accident today that saw him drop time. The Chilean rider chose to head straight back to the bivouac in Marrakech without finishing the stage.

Joan Barreda Joan Barreda 1st 4:15’37 Team HRC

It was a really dangerous day today. I set off really pushing hard, but I saw straight away that there was so much to lose, with loads of dangers, and knew that I had to stay calm, especially in the river crossings with so many rocks. I changed the chip and focused on getting through without making any mistakes or crashing. In the end I caught up with the other riders that I had up ahead, making it a good all round result.

Helder Rodrigues Helder Rodrigues 3rd +3’07 Team HRC

It could have been a great day for me, but it didn’t turn out that way, because I was worried about Paulo, who I was very sad to see abandon the race. I found him and asked if he needed any help, but he told me to keep going. I tried as hard as I could right until the end, and I made it to the goal. We will be trying our hardest to get a result tomorrow. It’s great to hear that Paulo hasn’t got anything too serious.

Laia Sanz Laia Sanz 11th +24’26 Team HRC

Everything is going great until now. It’s a pity about the fall on the second day. I feel fine and I’m improving a lot with a stable and steady pace. That’s what it’s all about: keep getting better. The technique is very important, the speed of the bike, and the navigation. It’s been a perfect debut. Today was the most dangerous stage yet – full of dangers and rocks. I took it calmly and safely.

Martino Bianchi Martino Bianchi Team HRC General Manager

It was a very difficult and dangerous fifth stage here in Morocco. It is a shame that we have lost Paulo Goncalves in a crash. We are happy that he didn’t injure himself badly. He was transported to Ourzazate hospital in a helicopter. They looked him over and it seems that he has got broken ribs and some damage to his shoulder, but not that bad. Anyway, we won another stage today, our fourth win in five days of racing. Barreda won again and showed that he is very fast, and he also proved himself to be very consistent in this type of hard race. Also, Helder was very good today in third position. We’re looking forward to tomorrow’s stage. We offer our best wishes to the whole team and hope they all finish safely.

Results

1 Joan Barreda 4:15’37 ESP HONDA Team HRC
2 Joan Pedrero +02’42 ESP SHERCO Sherco Rally Factory
3 Helder Rodrigues +03’07 PRT HONDA Team HRC
4 Ruben Faria +03’34 POR KTM KTM Red Bull Rally Factory
5 Toby Price +03’49 AUS KTM KTM AUS Rally Factory
6 Sam Sunderland +05’41 GBR KTM KTM Red Bull Rally Factory
7 Jordi Viladoms +06’07 ESP KTM KTM Red Bull Rally Factory
8 Marc Coma +07’36 ESP KTM KTM Red Bull Rally Factory
9 Chaleco López +09’24 CHI KTM KTM Red Bull Rally Factory
10 Alain Duclos +09’57 FRA SHERCO Sherco Rally Factory
11 Laia Sanz +24’26 ESP HONDA Team HRC

Provisional after Stage 5

1 Marc Coma 16:05’05 ESP KTM KTM Red Bull Rally Factory
2 Sam Sunderland +09’58 GBR KTM KTM Red Bull Rally Factory
3 Helder Rodrigues +12’05 PRT HONDA Team HRC
4 Joan Barreda +15’31 ESP HONDA Team HRC
5 Ruben Faria +16’13 POR KTM KTM Red Bull Rally Factory
6 Chaleco López +18’34 CHI KTM KTM Red Bull Rally Factory
7 Jordi Viladoms +20’16 ESP KTM KTM Red Bull Rally Factory
8 Joan Pedrero +50’00 ESP SHERCO Sherco Rally Factory
9 Toby Price +1:01’32 AUS KTM KTM AUS Rally Factory
10 Alain Duclos +1:06’32 FRA SHERCO Sherco Rally Factory
11 Laia Sanz +1:35’18 ESP HONDA Team HRC

Event information

STAGE 6 Thursday October 9th
Marrakech – Marrakech

Liaison: 32 km Special Stage: 113 km Liaision: 24 km

This last step is not just a parade, but a special that may change the results. The co-drivers have much to do on that land of multiple tracks. Competitors should stay focused to reach the finish of the stage under the palm trees. After a 24 km liaison, the winners and all finishers of the OiLibya Rally of Morocco 2014 will be welcomed by all the assistants, officials, VIPs, accompanying, public, … at the finish podium in Marrakech.