The third round of the Cross-Country Rallies World Championship came to an end after a 184.5km special stage that ended in the surroundings of Copiapó, Chile. The Atacama Rally closed its veil after its fifth and final stage yesterday. Monster Energy Honda Team rider Joan Barreda has claimed a podium win after securing a second-place finish in the final stage. Teammates Ricky Brabec finished his run in fifth place whereas José Ignacio Cornejo trailed behind at sixth place. Kevin Benavides made it to the top ten as he came in ninth place.
Next up for the team is the Morocco Rally which will commence from 4th to 9th October, with both start and finish scheduled to take place in Fez.
Photo credits: HRC
“I am happy. Today was a day where I had to push and really give it everything. It was a stage with a lot of sand, but a fast one. It was necessary to match the speeds with the hazards. I kept a good, fast pace, and I am happy because in the end I finished in the third overall position in the race. It’s always nice to finish on the podium!” says Barreda as quoted from Honda Racing Corporation.
Photo credits: HRC
“Stage five was good. It was a fast track with a little bit of sand dunes. Today I tried to push and catch the guy in front of me. But the stage was so fast that I don’t think that anyone caught anyone else. I’m happy to have finished and now I’m looking forward to some testing. Then I hope we pick it up again in Morocco and then on to the Dakar.”
Photo credits: HRC
“I have finished the Atacama with a pretty good result: seventh. We finished a hard, very complete race, the rally was very fast, as it usually is here. I didn’t live up to the expectations that I had set myself, but I know what it is necessary to work on and how to move forward. We are improving on hard and stony track and we are already looking forward to the next race, which will be in Morocco.”
Photo credits: HRC
“Today was a day to attack, but my day turned out to be a complicated one. I felt great, ready to fight to the fullest, but I had a problem and I couldn’t sort it out. It was difficult to try to get ahead in the dunes and more so when you have it clear in your head but the rest doesn’t respond. It’s a pity to finish fifth here, but we will continue fighting towards the next race.”
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