Qatar’s Sealine Cross-Country Rally thus arrives at its halfway point, and the riders of Team HRC are well placed among the race’s leaders. Joan Barreda set off from sixth place on the Honda CRF450 RALLY at a thundering rhythm, and with flawless navigation was able to reach and overtake the rivals ahead, crossing the line in Umm Sa’id for his second win so far. At 411.76 km, the special is the longest of those to be disputed here at the Sealine. The win sees Spanish rider Barreda once again back on the top of the overall standings, with all options open as the race goes into its final phase.
Hélder Rodrigues took fourth place, after a speedy start. Once he caught up with the leading group, he held his ground until the end, earning the Portuguese rider fifth overall place after three days.
For Paulo Gonçalves it was likewise a positive day in spite of a fifth place finish. We watched as Barreda was able to pull up to him. The reigning world champion and current leader of the world championship lies in fourth place, and will be fighting to improve on the position over the final two days.
Joan Barreda: Today I’m really happy because I started out in sixth place after yesterday’s position. I kept up a really good rhythm from the first kilometres. I caught up with Marc at kilometre 30 and then Viladoms. I kept pushing really hard to try and catch up with Paulo and Sam, and finally, after refuelling, with some difficult areas and navigation, I reached them, and we finished altogether in a group. So, I’m really happy with another victory, and also a victory for Honda.
