Barreda wins stage 5 and takes the lead of the Rally Morocco, with Coma 3rd

Rider Joan Barreda has taken victory in the fifth stage held today at the Rally of Morocco. The Torreblanca rider has claimed the win in the fifth and penultimate stage of the Rally, his third stage win of the event, and thus regains the lead of the race, with a lead of four minutes and 36 seconds over second-placed Paulo Gonçalves, and four minutes and 56 seconds ahead of third-placed Coma.

Coma finished third and maintains the same position in the overall standings. However, he is just 20 seconds behind Gonçalves, second in the World Championship and against whom Coma, the championship leader, is engaged in a spectacular duel to claim his sixth World Champion title.

After finishing seventh on yesterday’s stage, Barreda knew he had to make the most of his start from further back on the longest special of the rally, 310 kilometres. Setting a strong pace, the rider recovered valuable time on the penultimate day of the event. Barreda completed the timed section in three hours, 17 minutes and 35 seconds, beating Sam Sunderland, second on today’s stage, by four minutes and 15 seconds, and fellow AMV rider Marc Coma, third, by four minutes and 26 seconds.

The Avià rider, who started second behind Gonçalves, managed to cut two minutes and 20 seconds from the Portuguese rider, who finished fifth today. After completing the special in three hours, 22 minutes and one second, the rider remains third overall but is only 20 seconds behind the Portuguese rider.

Tomorrow, Coma and Gonçalves will battle for the World Championship on the final stage of the Rally of Morocco. The AMV rider leads the FIM World Cross-Country Rallies Championship with 107 points, three more than the Portuguese rider. To claim his sixth World Champion title (2005, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2012), Coma needs to win the overall rally or finish second with Gonçalves finishing third. If the Portuguese rider finishes fourth, the Avià rider would also mathematically be World Champion regardless of his final result, since the championship standings discard each rider’s worst result.

Everything, both the World Championship and the Rally of Morocco, will be decided on the sixth and final stage, covering 219 timed kilometres, with two liaison sections of 27 and 39 kilometres each.

Statements from Joan Barreda:

Today I attacked from my starting position, seventh, and I was able to make up more than four minutes on Marc [Coma], but we have to stay very alert, since overtaking other riders in the dust was extremely dangerous. Everything has been working perfectly so far, and tomorrow I will give my best to stay at the top of the standings and help our team achieve its goals.

Source | AMV