Paulo Goncalves is tops among the Team HRC Honda factory boys as the Dakar Rally picks up speed.
Former FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion Paulo Goncalves of Portugal showed his experience as he battled the muddy Argentinian soil during Stage 2 of the 2016 Dakar Rally, coming home with a sixth-place finish today.
The wet winter weather that forced the cancellation of the opening stage also created mucky conditions for the riders today, forcing race organizers to cut the route from the planned 450 kilometers of timed special to 354 kilometers. The stage concluded at Checkpoint 4. Despite being forced to start from the rear after a difficult prologue 2 days earlier, Goncalves maintained a quick pace and made up time and track position to finish just 2 minutes and 38 seconds off the time of Stage 2 winner Toby Price.
“This was a serious 350-kilometer stage,” Goncalves said. “I came out really strong and there was a bit of dust in the beginning, but after I got caught up in the mud. Luckily there was Ricky Brabec, who helped me out of it. I didn’t lose too much time and the final position is a good one. The important thing is to be up there near the head of the field, not lose the fight and battle on to the end.”
Joan Barreda opened the stage and held the physical lead for a several kilometers before getting stuck in the mud himself and losing time. This allowed Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Ruben Faria to catch Barreda, and the two navigated alongside for about 4 kilometers. Barreda wound up seventh in the stage.
“It was a complicated day,” Barreda said. “We set off opening the track after yesterday’s cancellation and over the first kilometers all was going fine, but I found myself in a mud-filled track where I got stuck several times. I had to push really hard and I lost a bit of time, but later I was able to pick up the pace. In the end I conceded a bit of time in this long stage.”
Team newcomer Michael Metge of France was also among the front-runners the whole day. Metge conceded to some of his competitors who started behind but took advantage of the tracks laid by the pack to finish 17th in the stage while conceding little to the front-runners.
“Today was a really nice special, the first real one of the Dakar, quite long with a good grip,” Metge said. “There were some really muddy parts, but I was able to get past [them] quite well. After that I was able to continue without real problem, and I enjoyed myself a lot.”
American hopeful Ricky Brabec got his Dakar Rally debut off to a decent start, finishing 21st to stand 21st overall after one stage–and this getting stuck and then stopping to help teammate Goncalves when the Portuguese rider was stuck.
“Today was the first real day, you could say, as we raced through the dirt,” Brabec said. “It was a good, really fast day. I got hung up for maybe four or five minutes, and then Paulo got by me and he got stuck in the mud also. I helped Paulo get out of the mud. Other than that there were no issues. It was a really hot day.”
Team HRC’s Paolo Ceci overcame a tricky stage to finish in the first 25, while Honda South America Rally Team’s Kevin Benavides was once again the fastest of the HSA squad, finishing eighth today, behind Barreda. Javier Pizzolito and Adrien Metge finished in the top 30 after stopping to help fallen Brazilian rider Jean Azevedo at kilometer 30. Azevedo was able to rejoin the race, albeit at a slower pace.
Your Privacy Choices