Benavides wins the second stage and Barreda continues to lead the Ruta 40

Team HRC and Honda South America Rally Team consolidate their top positions after the second stage of the Desafío Ruta 40 today. Barreda remains at the top of the leader board, with today’s winner Benavides hot on his heels.

 Honda and Team HRC are dominating the Desafío Ruta 40 so far. Joan Barreda continues to lead the general rankings after finishing the second day’s racing along with Argentinean Kevin Benavides. Both riders kept up an infernal pace that kept them ahead of the pack on a complicated day requiring full attention. Competitors were forced to endure rock-filled rivers, badly rain-damaged tracks and more dangerous hazards than were previously expected. The stage called for particular attention to the roadbook and absolute concentration on the conditions of the paths. To make matters even trickier, the final stretch needed some nifty navigational skills to boot. Benavides and Barreda put on a fine display of teamwork and quickly found the right paths that led them to San Juan ahead of the bunch.

 Paulo Gonçalves made the decision to sit back from Barreda and Benavides and maintain a steadier pace for the treacherous second stage. The Portuguese rider is adjusting to some of the new changes brought about to the Honda CRF450 RALLY machine. Behind were the riders from the Honda South America Rally Team, Franco Caimi and Javier Pizzolito with Michael Metge now lying in sixth overall place after placing fifth on the day. Team HRC’s French rider was in better shape today after a heavy fall yesterday forced him to visit the physiotherapist after the race.

 The third stage of the Desafío Ruta 40 will feature the longest special of the competition with a 515.75 km loop, starting and finishing in San Juan. By the end of tomorrow’s competition the riders will have put in some 678.46 kilometres in total.