Joan Barreda wins another stage in Morocco, Paulo Goncalves crashes, and Marc Coma is on the verge of a championship.
Team HRC’s Joan Barreda claimed his third win in five stages at the 2014 OiLibiya Rally of Morocco, today, but it was a rough day for the team as defending FIM Cross Country Rallies World Champion Paulo Goncalves crashed out of Stage Five and had to be hospitalized.
Goncalves crashed before arriving at the first checkpoint during the special stage, injuring his shoulder and ribs, according to the team. Goncalves was able to remount and make it to the first Control Point, where he was subsequently transported to a hospital in Ourzazate. Goncalves’ chance of retaining his FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship was already slim, as Red Bull KTM’s Marc Coma came into the Rally of Morocco with the series points lead and assumed the overall lead in yesterday’s stage. Although Coma finished eighth today, he enjoys a sizable overall advantage on his teammate and, Sam Sunderland, who moved into second place overall after finishing sixth today.
Goncalves wasn’t the only Team HRC rider to crash out of today’s stage. Stage Two official winner Jeremías Israel crashed and returned to the bivouac in Marrakesh without finishing the stage.
Today’s 512-kilometer stage (302 kilometers of which was timed special stage) was the longest and most hazardous of the rally, sending riders out of Zagora before the route headed into mountainous Draa area. The field was challenged by rock-stewn, narrow tracks, before reaching the finish line in Ourzazate.
Barreda set a blistering pace today, closing in on the stage’s physical leaders and finishing with a time of 4 hours, 15 minutes and 37 seconds, 2 minutes and 32 seconds ahead of Sherco Factory Rally rider Joan Pedrero, whose runner-up finish marked his best stage of the rally. Team HRC’s Helder Rodrigues finished third, another 25 seconds off Pedrero’s time.
Although he still smarting from the penalty that cost him his Stage Two win, Barreda’s win today moves him back up to fourth place in the overall standings prior to tomorrow’s final stage in Marrakesh.
“It was a really dangerous day today,” Barreda said. “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.”
With one stage remaining, all eyes are also on Team HRC’s female rider, Laia Sanz, who had her best day of the rally today, finishing 11th. Sanz is now 11th overall in the rally, just over 27 minutes behind Sherco rider Alain Duclos.
Sanz may not be out of the hunt for a top-10 finish, as the final stage out of Marrakesh will once again place a premium on naviation skills. Multiple tracks along the 113-kilomter special stage route could make it easy to make a costly mistake.
FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship
OiLibya Rally of Morocco (Round 6 of 6)
Morocco
Results: October 8, 2014 (Stage 5 of 6)
Stage 5
1. Joan Barreda-Hon/4:15:37
2. Joan Pedrero-She/+00:02:42
3. Helder Rodrigues-Hon/+00:03:07
4. Ruben Faria-KTM/+00:03:34
5. Toby Price-KTM/+00:03:49
6. Sam Sunderland-KTM/+00:05:41
7. Jordi Viladoms-KTM/+00:06:07
8. Marc Coma-KTM/+00:07:36
9. Chaleco López-KTM/+00:09:24
10. Alain Duclos-KTM/+00:09:57
OiLibya Rally of Morocco Overall Standings (After 5 of 6 stages)
1. Marc Coma-KTM/16:05:05
2. Sam Sunderland-KTM/+00:09:58
3. Helder Rodrigues-Hon/+00:12:05
4. Joan Barreda-Hon/+00:15:31
5. Ruben Faria -KTM/+00:16:13
6. Chaleco López-KTM/+00:18:34
7. Jordi Viladoms-KTM/+00:20:16
8. Joan Pedrero-She/+00:50:00
9. Toby Price-KTM/+01:01:32
10. Alain Duclos-She/ +01:06:32
Tomorrow’s Stage
Stage 6: Marrakesh-Marrakesh
Liaison: 32 km
Special Stage: 113 km
Liaision: 24 km
Total Distance: 169 km
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