It was an unfortunate beginning to say the least. He lost 38 minutes in the first stage, but not faith. With eleven dakares already in the backpack, Barreda He has plenty of experience to know that with that difference he is still very much alive in the fight. This is what he made clear in his statements after Sunday’s disaster: “Things change every day, the important thing is to stay in the race.” He did not have to wait long for time to prove him right, the next day he won. The 28, record of a Spaniard in the Dakar.
The Honda driver shone as he likes best, setting the pace for more than half of the 338 kilometers of the special between Hail and Al Qaisumah, to prevail for five minutes over Sunderland. Starting from behind (17th) was an advantage to face the first area of important dunes of the rally, there is no harm that does not come. The same they will think Kevin Benavides or Price, who also hit the hit the day before and finished this well (3rd and 5th) giving a blow to Sanders, which cost 25 minutes to open the track.
Those was what Barreda subtracted from the Australian, more than half of them lost, and it remains 20 behind the new leader, another GasGas from the aforementioned Sunderland. It is something else, although on Tuesday it will be his turn to go out first with the risks that this entails. But for now, the one from Castellón can celebrate his first victory in this Dakar and the record that he brings with him, that of the Spanish rider who has achieved the most. He breaks with Arcarons, whom he reached last year, and is approaching 33 of Peterhansel and Despres, that share top in statistics.
If we review how the classification is, it is not necessary to go down much to find the first Spaniard. Behind Sunderland: Van Beveren, Sanders, Walkner, Howes … and Santolino. Sherco’s met the goal required by his starting position, seventh, neither too far ahead nor too far behind, as he left Barreda at 15:30 at the finish line. Record that helps you stay in the privileged zone with that sixth, less than eleven minutes from the leader. They have already seen how volatile things can be on motorcycles, but both are in a fight and that is the important thing.
