Team HRC Honda’s Helder Rodrigues scores a Dakar Rally stage win while teammate Joan Barreda rebuilds overall rally lead.
Team HRC Honda’s Helder Rodrigues added his name to the 2015 Dakar Rally stage winner’s list as the rally continued its journey from Antofagasta up the Pacific coast of Chile to Iquique today.
Today’s Stage 6 featured a two-part special stage in which the competitors completed 69 kilometers before entering a short transfer of 26 kilometers and then completing the final 223 kilometers.
Although yesterday’s stage winner Marc Coma started first, it was clear that he and overall rally leader Joan Barreda had their own agenda today, shadowing each other instead of pushing the pace. Coma, Barreda and Quintanilla finished the first portion of the special together, although Quintanilla had an anxious moment as his Transportes Arista KTM was leaking fuel.
Rodrigues, however, got off to a fast start. The Portuguese rider was quickest through the first portion of the special, and he was able to capitalize further when Coma, Barreda and Quitanilla all made navigational errors and got off track. All three men would correct their mistakes without losing a lot of time, but it was enough to allow Rodrigues to escape with the stage win.
“I started very badly with my body at the beginning of this rally,” Rodrigues said. “I had three days that were not so good. On day four I had a problem with the bike due to mechanical problems, but today I had a good stage. Of course, I’m happy, and I have one week more to attack. I’m happy. If I have the best time, that’s good. If I have the second time, it’s also good. I had a good day and rode very fast. I pushed a lot until I saw Marc and Joan, and then I just rode to the finish and didn’t push anymore.”
Australian KTM rider Toby Price continues to have a largely positive experience in the Dakar Rally, and he pushed the pace today in search of his first career stage win. His second-place finish in Stage 6 was his best result so far. Price came into Iquique just 1 minute and 10 seconds behind Rodrigues.
Likewise, Team HRC Honda’s Paulo Goncalves continues to put in consistent if not front-running performances, and the Portuguese rider once again finished third today, 1 minute and 42 seconds behind his stage-winning teammate, Rodrigues. Quintanilla overcame is fuel leak issues to finish fourth, with Slovakian rider Stefan Svitko fifth.
Barreda finished back in sixth place today, with Coma eighth, behind Team Honda’s Jeremias Israel. More important to the big picture, Barreda took back the two minutes over which he and Coma have been wrestling over for the past few days. Barreda now leads Coma by 12 minutes and 22 seconds in the overall standings.
2015 Dakar Rally
Stage 5
Antofagasta-Iquique, Chile
Results: January 9, 2015
1. Helder Rodrigues (PRT)-Hon/3 hours, 40 minutes, 10 seconds
2. Toby Price (AUS)-KTM/+00:01:10
3. Paulo Goncalves (PRT)-Hon/+00:01:42
4. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL)-KTM/+00:06:11
5. Stefan Svitko (SVK)-KTM/+00:06:42
6. Joan Barreda (ESP)-Hon/+00:07:20
7. Jeremias Israel (CHL)-Hon/+00:08:58
8. Marc Coma (ESP)-KTM/+00:09:14
9. Ruben Faria (PRT)-KTM/+00:09:34
10. Ivan Jakes (SVK)-KTM/+00:13:59
2015 Dakar Rally Standings (After 6 of 13 stages)
1. Joan Barreda (ESP)-Hon/21 hours, 38 minutes, 35 seconds
2. Marc Coma (ESP)-KTM/+00:12:27
3. Paulo Goncalves (PRT)-Hon/+00:17:12
4. Pablo Quintanilla (CHL)-KTM/+00:29:57
5. Toby Price (AUS)-KTM/+00:33:44
6. Helder Rodrigues (PRT)-Hon/+00:36:04
7. Ruben Faria (PRT)-KTM/+00:40:27
8. Stefan Svitko (SVK)-KTM/+00:41:27
9. Alain Duclos (FRA)-She/+00:52:56
10. Jeremias Israel (CHL)-Hon/+01:00:48
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