Another podium for Husqvarna Rallye Team by
Speedbrain.
Paulo Goncalves second in the
stage.
Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain notched up
another noteworthy performance. Nazca, one of Peru’s most famous archaeological
cities played host to today’s stage, where it was the turn of Paulo Goncalves to
take the podium in second place just seconds behind winner Lopez. Goncalves
would have been in third overall place were it not for a fifteen minute penalty
picked up for a first engine change. Alessandro Botturi put in a great performance too,
taking fourth place in spite of a fall.
Joan Barreda was less fortunate, breaking his
rear wheel as he landed after a jump just forty kilometres into the special
test. Until that moment Barreda had been in command of the race, but was forced
to slow down considerably to be able to get through the special, losing over
thirty minutes in doing so.
After three stages, the top Husqvarna rider in
the overall standings is the private Spanish rider Jordi Viladoms, a kind of
‘special customer’ of the Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, who sits in
eighth place in the overall table.
Tomorrow the treacherous stage of Nazca
Arequipa awaits with 718 km (449 miles) of which 289 km (180 miles) are special
test.
Paulo Goncalves :”I really pushed it today and am happy about
the podium. It was a shame that I got stuck in a dune and lost about a minute
trying to get going again. I wanted to win and came pretty close to
it”
Alessandro
Botturi: ”What a giant roll I did!!! A 100 km in I
jumped badly over a dune and turned over. Luckily I was alright. Then I had to
slow down due to the enormous amount of dust.”
Joan
Barreda: “I was going really well until 40 km in,
when I landed after a jump and broke the rear wheel. I was forced to stop to try
and sort out the damage, but there was nothing I could do about it. So I had to
carry on at a slower pace until the end of the special. A shame! But that’s the
Dakar. Tomorrow is another day!”
Team Manager, Wolfgang Fischer:
“Today was the reverse of the situation for all our riders. Goncalves and
Botturi did well, Barreda and Fish had problems. It was a shame about Barreda’s
technical set-backs, he was really going flat out until then. Tomorrow will be a
really hard stage. Barreda and Fish start out from behind and will have the
chance to make up ground”
Third
Stage Result:
1. Lopez (KTM), 2. Goncalves (Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain) at
1’08”, 3.Depres (KTM), at 4’08”, 4. Botturi (Husqvarna Rallye Team by
Speedbrain) at 5’05”, 5.Przygonski (KTM) at 5’20,…….. 17. Viladoms (Husqvarna) at 12’31,
……..40.Fish (Husqvarna Rallye team by Speedbrain) at 29’52, 44 Barreda
(Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain) at 33’02.
Overall
Standings After Three Stages:
”, 1.Depres (KTM) , 2. Lopez (KTM) at 2’51”,
3.Ullevalsetter (KTM) at 4’59”, 4. Pain (Yamaha), at 6’03”, 5.Casteau (Yamaha)
at 6’08”…… 8. Viladoms (Husqvarna) at
9’35”……. 12. Botturi (Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain) at 10’59”….. 16.
Goncalves (Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speebrain) at 19’45”….18.Barreda (Husqvarna
Rallye Team by Speedbrain) at 20’04, ….31.Fish (Husqvarna Rallye Team by
Speedbrain) at 26’12”.
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