Sardegna Rally Race 2012, Day 1
Sunday, 24 June 2012 20:08 | 
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Joan Barreda wins special test on the opening day of the Sardinia Rally
The first day of racing for the Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain began under sizzling hot temperatures. As Joan Barreda started his Husqvarna TE 449 exactly 8:12am this morning, temperatures at San Teodoro were already nearing 30 degrees celcius. Barreda left the launching ramp as seventh starter, his teammate Paulo Goncavles followed 13 minutes later. The Spaniard and the Portuguese would experience temperatures of up to 40 degrees throughout the day.
Both riders had their firsts on the beautiful island in the Mediterranean Sea. They never competed in the Sardinia Rally before and they learnt that something is different. Unlike typical desert rallyes, the only FIM Cross Country World Championship round in Europe offers a lot of Enduro elements. Because of the nature of the terrain there are changes in direction sometimes every other 100 metres. The Speedbrain Husky pair massively enjoyed the layout while they were receiving a lot of practice reading and following the roadbook under these circumstances.
Joan and Paulo also had to be aware of the riders who started ahead of them. The dust and the stoney ground made each passing maneuver tricky. "Hurricane" Barreda nevertheless quickly found his rhythm. He won the second special test and finished the day 1:42 minutes behind Alessandro Botturi. This gives Barreda a good position to start tomorrow´s first part of the marathon stage leading from San Teodoro to Sa Itria.
Paulo Goncalves ended the day in 12th place and expressed satisfaction with his result: "Not a bad start, this warm-up was important to learn the profile of the course. It was fun to work with this type of roadbook. My starting position this morning was far from good, I lost a lot of time overtaking slower riders. All went well though and the times of the top ten pilots are close. Everything is possible for tomorrow and the following days."
Overall Standing
1. Alessandro Botturi (ITA) KTM 2:52:53.28 hrs
2. Jordi Viladoms (SPA) KTM 1:11.75 min behind
3. Marc Coma (SPA) KTM 1:29.45
4. Joan Barreda (SPA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedrain 1:42.01
5. Joan Pedrero (SPA) KTM 2:41.98
12. Paulo Goncalves (POR) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedrain 9:08.77
The first day of racing for the Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain began under sizzling hot temperatures. As Joan Barreda started his Husqvarna TE 449 exactly 8:12am this morning, temperatures at San Teodoro were already nearing 30 degrees celcius. Barreda left the launching ramp as seventh starter, his teammate Paulo Goncavles followed 13 minutes later. The Spaniard and the Portuguese would experience temperatures of up to 40 degrees throughout the day.
Both riders had their firsts on the beautiful island in the Mediterranean Sea. They never competed in the Sardinia Rally before and they learnt that something is different. Unlike typical desert rallyes, the only FIM Cross Country World Championship round in Europe offers a lot of Enduro elements. Because of the nature of the terrain there are changes in direction sometimes every other 100 metres. The Speedbrain Husky pair massively enjoyed the layout while they were receiving a lot of practice reading and following the roadbook under these circumstances.
Joan and Paulo also had to be aware of the riders who started ahead of them. The dust and the stoney ground made each passing maneuver tricky. "Hurricane" Barreda nevertheless quickly found his rhythm. He won the second special test and finished the day 1:42 minutes behind Alessandro Botturi. This gives Barreda a good position to start tomorrow´s first part of the marathon stage leading from San Teodoro to Sa Itria.
Paulo Goncalves ended the day in 12th place and expressed satisfaction with his result: "Not a bad start, this warm-up was important to learn the profile of the course. It was fun to work with this type of roadbook. My starting position this morning was far from good, I lost a lot of time overtaking slower riders. All went well though and the times of the top ten pilots are close. Everything is possible for tomorrow and the following days."
Overall Standing
1. Alessandro Botturi (ITA) KTM 2:52:53.28 hrs
2. Jordi Viladoms (SPA) KTM 1:11.75 min behind
3. Marc Coma (SPA) KTM 1:29.45
4. Joan Barreda (SPA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedrain 1:42.01
5. Joan Pedrero (SPA) KTM 2:41.98
12. Paulo Goncalves (POR) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedrain 9:08.77
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