Joan Barreda wins the second to last stage of the Sardinia Rally

After a very complicated marathon stage, the Team HRC has been able to enjoy a new victory by Joan Barreda after overcoming the problems with the roadbook. Helder Rodrigues and Paulo Goncalves are well positioned to fight for the podium tomorrow.

Joan Barreda navigated the first part of today’s stage without being able to use the roadbook that had broke yesterday. He was able to follow the tracks of the riders ahead of him and reach the refueling point, where he had assistance and solved the problem. During the second Special ‘Bang Bang’ was back and won the SS7 and registered the best global time of the 115 kilometers completed today.

Hélder Rodrigues started in fourth place and has finished the second Special of the day in third, making him fifth in the overall. The Portuguese has gained a valuable position on the general standing and has the podium within reach, since he is only two minutes away from the rider that precedes him.

Paulo Gonçalves was forced to complete the first stage without the use of the front brakes, causing him to modify his position on the bike in order to be able to position the bike to brake, resulting in sever back pain for the Portuguese rider. Unable to change the front brake, he lost time during the first stage, preventing him from reaching fourth place in the overall standing.

The fourth stage of the Sardegna Rally Race has taken the riders back to San Teodoro, the starting point for tomorrow’s first special of 120 kilometers that will take the riders to Alà dei Sardi, where they will refuel. The second special will have the riders complete a total of 50 kilometers that will take them back to San Teodoro.

Tomorrow’s Stage:

Stage 5 – San Teodoro-San Teodoro

Closing “Ring” of the Sardegna Rally 2014, with two special stages traced to the north and west of San Teodoro. Breathtaking scenery, steps on the land of the mythical stages of the WRC, navigation and intense tactical duties hold until the last kilometre of the rally. Then, the “match” is completed, and suddenly the Podium of the seventh edition of the World Rally appears.

The last stage is not easy. The Competitors will pass through some of the flooded areas devastated during the severe stormy weather of last November. Some of these areas have been “quenched” thanks to the Ente Foreste, others are still largely ruined.

They depart from San Teodoro, then take the road to Padru, Trainu Moltu and reach the starting line of the Special Stage 8 at Punta S’Iscala. The Special Stage crosses the Forestry yard of Sorilis, terranova, Sa Conchedda, Monte Lerno, then returns to the wind farm of Buddusò and finally they reach the end at the Municipal stables of Alà dei Sardi.

The subsequent liaison is in the direction of Alà, and then towards Coi Luna, where the start of the special stage 9 is located. The last Selective Section of the Rally will cross the Forest yards of Coi Luna, Crastazza and Loelle. This Special Stage is short, but with a lot of navigation. The configuration is such that the last test will still be crucial for the evolution of the Competition. No one is allowed to feel safe from surprises, and the result will be revealed only after the end of the Special Stage No. 9, in Mamone. The final transfer of the Sardegna Rally 2014 is on a mixed path of asphalt and dirt roads, crossing Lodè, Torpé, Brunella, and leads the Competitors straight to the Podium of San Teodoro.