HRC’s Paolo Goncalves got a win today on Stage 7, the first half of the first marathon stage in the 2015 Dakar Rally. Photography by HRC.
Red Bull KTM’s Marc Coma took a solid chunk of time out of Joan Barreda’s lead today as riders in the Dakar Rally took to the first half of a marathon stage. Although the top-three remain the same in overall standings, the times have tightened up even more after Stage 7. HRC’s Paolo Goncalves showed the way while Coma rode his factory KTM to second on the day followed by his teammate Matthias Walkner. Barreda finished a sub-par 12th place, his worst finish yet.
After an early start this morning, riders took to the long liaison section, which took them all the way up to an altitude of 11,500 feet (3500m). Up on the plateau the long and complicated special test began, with rain and mud complicating things for the riders.
Red Bull KTM’s Marc Coma was able to capitalize on a crash by Barreda, and close in on the leader by nearly 6 minutes today. Photography by RallyZone Bauer/Barni.
Walkner led the early going on the Stage 7 special, passing through the second checkpoint in first place followed by Coma. But Coma’s goal was not to overtake Walkner, or even HRC’s Goncalves who went on to win the stage. He is focused entirely on making up time on Barreda. Fortunately, Coma was able to make big strides today, and cut his time deficit nearly in half when Barreda ran into trouble. A crash in the mud left him with a broken handlebar, and he was forced to complete the stage riding with one hand.
“The road book contained a danger warning, without specifying whether it was level 1, 2 or 3,” Barreda said. “I saw it from quite far away and I started braking 100 meters before it, but the mud caused the motorcycle to slide and I hit the obstacle. I was sent flying. It happened at km 200. I rode 120km with just one hand. My motorcycle also stopped at another time and I lost another four minutes. After that I pulled out all the stops. But it’s no big deal. We’ve got a big team. We’ll fix it.”
Stage 7 was tough going for Dakar Rally leader Joan Barreda. But the HRC rider still retains the overall lead as the race heads into Bolivia for the second half of the marathon stage. Photography by HRC.
Barreda now faces the challenge of repairing the damage to his CRF450 RALLY without his HRC support crew. It was a mixed day for the team, as Barreda’s teammate celebrated a win on Stage 7.
“It was a very hard stage,” commented stage winner Goncalves. “I caught the riders in front of me and stayed with them because they were setting a strong pace. It started raining halfway through the stage and it got very slippery and dangerous. With about 50km to go, I got a horrible headache but I got here with the motorcycle safe and sound. Now it’s time to rest and get to work a bit, as there is mud all over the motorcycle.”
Third place in today’s stage went to Matthias Walkner, who conquered the rain and mud to card a good time in today’s 200-mile (321km) special test. Photography by RallyZone Bauer/Barni.
Pablo Quintanilla continues to prove himself worthy of a top-5 spot, and he had another strong fourth-place finish today. Australian KTM rider Toby Price rounded out the top-five today, and retains his strong fifth-place position in the overall standings.
There is still a very long way to go in the Dakar Rally, as riders well know. Goncalves is happy with the progress he and his teammates are making, and he had hopes of a solid podium finish.
“It’s been a great first week,” Goncalves said. “I’ve made very few mistakes apart from Stage 3. I try to finish without too much trouble every day and if I can keep it up, I could reap good results. It’s still open.”
The incredible Laia Sanz continues to impress! HRC’s lady rider advanced to 14th in overall standings today. Photography by HRC.
Dakar Motorcycle Results – Stage 7
1. Paolo Goncalves (Hon)
2. Marc Coma (KTM)
3. Matthias Walkner (KTM)
4. Pablo Quintanilla (KTM)
5. Toby Price (KTM)
6. Juan Pedrero Garcia (Yam)
7. Alain Duclos (Shr)
8. Helder Rodrigues (Hon)
9. Stefan Svitko (KTM)
10. Riaan Van Niekerk (KTM)
11. Jordi Viladoms (KTM)
12. Joan Barreda (Hon)
Provisional Standings After Stage 7
1. Joan Barreda (25:40:48)
2. Marc Coma (+6:28)
3. Paolo Goncalves (+10:59)
4. Pablo Quintanilla (+25:16)
5. Toby Price (+29:20)
6. Helder Rodrigues (+33:56)
7. Stefan Svitko (+40:23)
8. Ruben Faria (+40:55)
9. Alain Duclos (+50:31)
10. David Casteu (+1:16:52)
