Sunderland Wins Sealine Rally Stage Two, Coma To Overall Lead

Sam Sunderland battles with a former teammate and wins stage two of the Sealine Cross Country Rally in Qatar.

Red Bull KTM factory rally riders had a good day during stage two of the Sealine Cross Country Rally in Qatar today, as Red Bull KTM’s Sam Sunderland of Great Britian scored the stage win while 2014 Dakar Rally Champion Marc Coma moved into the overall rally lead with a fifth-place finish in the stage.

Sunderland, the former Team HRC factory rider who signed with Red Bull KTM after the Dakar Rally, was strong in a difficult second stage of the Sealine Rally, which included a 396.46-kilometer special test from Al Karaana to Umm Sa’id in the Qatar Peninsula. Sunderland had a great battle with former teammate and reigning FIM World Cross Country Rallies Champion Paul Goncalves of the HRC team, the two arriving at the final stage checkpoint together, but Sunderland won the stage on adjusted time, hitting the finish in 4 hours, 22 minutes and 22 seconds. Sunderland averaged 90.68 kilometers per hour (56.34 mph). Goncalves, of Portugal, actually finished 2 minutes and four seconds behind Sunderland on adjusted time. Today’s finish leaves Goncalves and Sunderland in fourth place and fifth place, respectively, in the overall standings.

Meanwhile, Coma did as Coma does, hawking fellow Spaniard and stage one winner Joan Barreda, with two also finishing in close proximity on the course, although both were down in the order on adjusted time, Coma finishing fifth with a time of 4:32:25 while Barreda finished with a 4:34:23, giving Coma the overall lead with a total time of 6:15:58 over the two stages. Barreda trails Coma in the overall standings by a mere 56 seconds. Red Bull KTM’s Jordi Villadoms, also of Spain, was third in today’s stage and is now 2 minutes and 06 seconds behind Coma in the overall standings.

Team HRC’s Hélder Rodrigues had an uneventful day in stage two of the rally, finishing a quiet fourth place to remain sixth overall, behind Sunderland.

Sealine Cross Country Rally
Losail, Qatar
Results: April 22, 2014 (Stage 2 of 5)

Stage 2
1. Sam Sunderland-KTM/04:22’22
2. Paulo Goncalves-Hon/+00:02:04
3. Jordi Viladoms-KTM/+00:08:07
4. Helder Rodrigues-Hon/+00:08:30
5. Marc Coma-KTM/+00:10:03
6. Joan Barreda-Hon/+00:12:01
7. Mohammed Albalooshi-KTM/+00:42:14
8. Julián Villarrubia-Hon/+00:58:50
9. Mohammed Abu Issa-Yam/+01:00’46
10. Rafal Sonik-Hon/+01:02’45

Standings after Stage 2
1. Marc Coma-KTM/06:15’58
2. Joan Barreda-Hon/+00:00:56
3. Jordi Viladoms-KTM/+00:02:06
4. Paulo Goncalves-Hon/+00:02:29
5. Sam Sunderland-KTM/+00:05:58
6. Helder Rodrigues-Hon/+00:08:22
7. Mohammed Albalooshi-KTM/+00:38:12
8. Mohammed Abu Issa-Yam/+01:23:00
9. Rafal Sonik-Hon/+01:27:57
10. Julián Villarrubia-Hon/+01:35:36

Tomorrow’s Stage
Liaison: 4.38 km
Special stage: 411.76 km
Liaison: 00.66 km
Total: 416.80 km