By winning stage two, Spain’s Joan Barreda now boasts a tally of 28 Dakar Rally stage wins and he’s moved up to 10th in the overall classification for the 2022 Dakar Rally.
The Monster Energy Honda Team rider is the third most successful motorcycle rider in the rally’s history after Stephane Peterhansel and Cyril Despres (33).
The general standings underwent a slight reshuffle after stage two, with GasGas factory rider Sam Sunderland finishing the stage runner-up to Barreda and thereby taking the No.1 spot overall for the competition.
The runner-up finish on stage two saw British rider Sunderland now move up from fifth overall and snatch the event’s race leader position from his team-mate Daniel Sanders.
This second stage of the 2022 Dakar Rally brought about some changes as had earlier been predicted and Sanders was the big loser … while he did a great job of opening the majority of the stage, he frustratingly made a small but costly navigational error on his way into the finish, which led to him ending the stage in only 23rd position and close to 25 minutes behind the day’s winner, Barreda (pictured here).
Downpours over the last few days in the northern part of Saudi Arabia caused some flooding, such as the wash-out at the Al Artawiyah bivouac for the Marathon stage.
As a consequence, the organisers yesterday decided to switch the stage 2 destination to the camp set up at Al Qaisumah.
The 338.43-kilometre special stage, however, remained intact, but with the riders’ liaison section to the new bivouac lengthened for a total 453-kilometre trek. Dunes were the main feature of the day: a quarter of the timed special stage was made up of various ridges of dunes.
Barreda expressed his satisfaction with the day’s proceedings on reaching Al Qaisumah.
The Spaniard, who started from a favourable position to attack, let no-one stand between him and his goal, completing the special with a surplus of five-and-a-half minutes over the stage’s nearest second best rider.
José Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Cornejo was clearly ill at ease on terrain not suited to his style. Elsewhere, American Ricky Brabec – after a dismal stage yesterday where he dropped a lot of time – came out with the intention of whittling down the gap and will hope to improve further over the forthcoming stages.
Quintanilla was the second RallyGP rider to take the start on stage two.
From the chilly bivouac of Ha’il, and after a 183-kilometre liaison section, the Chilean rider tried to keep a close tab on the race leader who had started ahead of him.
Quintanilla pressed hard, going on to open the track, but was unable to shake off early event leader Sanders, of Australia.
In the end, the handicap of having opened the track had taken its toll with the Chilean making a slight error and losing time but nevertheless managed to limit the damage. The Monster Energy Honda Team rider currently lies in seventh, 12-and-a-half minutes adrift of the leader.
Stage 3 has also been affected due to the change of the stage two bivouac. Race organisers decided to cancel the first sector of the special, so riders will not have to complete the 368-kilometre timed stage.
“I’m happy with today, especially after yesterday’s hard day, where several riders got lost,” said Barreda after his stage two win.
“To make up time in the general standings is good, and we have to be aware that there are ten days ahead and that anything can happen. We are physically in good shape and we are looking forward to it.
“We have worked all year to get here in good shape, so now is the time to get it all out. I am also happy to be the third rider in the history of the Dakar with the most stage victories.
“I’m proud of the work I’ve done over the years and the mark I’ve left.”
Photo courtesy Honda
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Results Stage 2 (Rally GP Classification):
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Rider Standings:
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