Team HRC’s veteran rider comes from behind to take the Stage 3 win at the Sealine Rally in Qatar.
Team HRC’s Paulo Goncalves won the third stage of the Sealine Rally, round two of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship in Qatar, today, and the Portuguese rider moved up in the overall standings.
However, Red Bull KTM’s Marc Coma staged a brilliant come-from-behind charge after briefly losing the overall rally lead during the day to extend his advantage to over 10 minutes on fellow Red Bull KTM rider and countryman Jordi Viladoms.
Of the 22 motorcycle riders remaining in the rally at this point, it looked as if the 392.52-kilometer timed special was going to fall to Goncavles’ superstar teammate, Joan Barreda, who led over three-quarters of the stage, but a navigational error in one of the trickier stretches of the route cost him all of the time that he had made and more, causing him not only to lose the stage but his second overall position in the overall standings as well.
With Barreda in trouble, Goncalves picked up the piece and posted the stage win with a time of 4 hours, 29 minutes and 46 seconds. Goncalves’ win lifted him to fourth overall in the rally, and it affords him the luxury of choosing tomorrow’s starting position amid the first six starters, as determined by new race regulations.
“A great day and a fine special today,” Goncalves said. “I started out from eighth, which was a good position, and I did pretty well as I managed to catch up with the riders who had started out before me. I pulled back quite a bit of time. I’m now 10 minutes off the top-position in the general with the chance now to choose which of the first six positions I’d like for tomorrow’s start. I’m pleased for me and for the team, which is running really well. There’s still a couple of days to go, so let’s see how it turns out.”
Coma got off to a slow start, but he regained his composure and went on to finish third, behind Warsaw Rally KTM’s Pablo Quintanilla of Chile. The good news for Coma was that he also increased his overall lead to 10 minutes and 12 seconds.
“It was a difficult day again,” Coma said. “We started in the dunes, but the last part was like a different stage, rocky, a lot of pistes [tracks] and [we had to] follow the cap. I had a good rhythm all day. The feeling was good. I know Joan (Barreda Bort) was pushing, but to push and not to make a mistake is a fine balance.”
Tomorrow’s penultimate stage measures 406.78 kilometers, the longest of the rally. It feature sections that were already used in other stages but with different combinations of tracks, sand flats and dunes.
2015 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship
Sealine Rally
Qatar
Results: April 22, 2015 (Round 2 of 6)
Stage 3
1. Paulo Gonçalves (POR)-Hon/4 hours, 29 minutes, 46 seconds
2. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI)-KTM/+00:02:04
3. Marc Coma (ESP)-KTM/+00:03:59
4. Matthias Walkner (AUT)-KTM/+00:06:11
5. Jordi Viladoms (ESP)-KTM/+00:08: 02
6. Sam Sunderland (GBR)-KTM/+00:12:01
7. Joan Barreda (ESP)-Hon/+00:13:53
8. Armand Monleón (ESP)-KTM/+00:44:05
9. David Megre (POR)-KTM/+00:54:59
10. Mario Patrao (POR)-KTM/+00:56:10
Sealine Rally Overall Standings (After 3 of 5 Stages)
1. Marc Coma (ESP)-KTM/+10 hours, 54 minutes, 2 seconds
2. Jordi Viladoms (ESP)-KTM/+00:10:12
3. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI)-KTM/+00:10:13
4. Paulo Gonçalves (POR)-Hon/+00:10:33
5. Matthias Walkner (AUT)-KTM/+00:11:08
6. Joan Barreda (ESP)-Hon/+00:11:57
7. Sam Sunderland (GBR)-KTM/+00:12:58
8. Mohamed Alblaooshi (UAE)-KTM/+01:20:30
9. Armand Monleón (ESP)-KTM/+01:46:36
10. Jakub Piatek (POL)-KTM/+02:23:33
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