Paulo Goncalves wins the second stage and closes in on the leader
A second victory for Paulo Goncalves and Honda CRF450 RALLY in the Rally dos Sertoes. After taking first place in the prologue, Team HRC rider rode the fastest time today in a much shorter than scheduled second stage.
Due to hazardous conditions on the race route, including narrow stretches and poor ground, the second stage of the Rally Sertoes was shortened quite radically from the originally-planned 155.65 kilometre stage.
This put a damper on Team HRC’s chances of narrowing the deficit with the race leader. Paulo Goncalves, who started out from third place on the day, had hoped to whittle down the gap with the front runner, who set off ahead. In spite of the changes to the original schedule, Paulo managed a fast, yet comfortable ride, reducing the gap with the overall leader to just 39 seconds.
A very focused Helder Rodrigues tried to avoid any navigational errors, due to flaws in the road-book, which eventually left him conceding several seconds to his adversaries. Tomorrow Helder will start from behind and it will be full gas for the Honda CRF450 RALLY in an attempt to recuperate time and get back up among the top positions.
Another noteworthy performance was displayed by Honda Brazil’s Jean Azevedo, taking second final place in the stage and third overall.
Tomorrow’s Stage:
Stage 3 – Catalao-Paracatu
Liaison: 22.2km Special Stage: 209.86km Liaison: 128.39km
Paulo Goncalves
"Today I set a really good rhythm on the bike. I was able to keep up a really quick and constant pace. However, the organisation shortened the route and we competed over a 70 kilometre course, which meant that I was unable to make up much time. I would have been able to win the stage and pull back. I’m very close at just 39 seconds behind the leader overall. I’m closing in, and tomorrow I’ll try and do it again."
Helder Rodrigues
"The second day has been a really different one, with the special being reduced by quite a few kilometres. It was a short day, but the with different navigation from yesterday’s. Not so demanding, but very fast. I lost a bit of time, and tomorrow I’ll be starting from further back, so I’ll be attacking and trying to get back in the top places."
Private: Wolfgang Fischer
"It’s the second day of the Sertoes Rally which finished with another victory. Paulo Goncalves took the win and has shortened the gap with the overall leader, so they are very close together. Also, Helder had a very constant race. Unluckily, the stage was shortened tremendously to only about 70 kilometres from the original -which was over 200- because of a problem with the track. For that reason the riders didn’t have more kilometres to be able to make up more time. Anyway, tomorrow will be a similar stage like today’s, and a new chance to attack."
Results Session
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goncalves Paulo | POR | Team HRC | Honda | 45'37 | |
| 2 | Azevedo Jean | BRA | Honda Mobil Rally | Honda | +1'02 | |
| 3 | Coma Marc | SPA | Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team | KTM | +1'21 | |
| 4 | Viladoms Jordi | SPA | Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team | KTM | +2'30 | |
| 5 | Faria Ruben | POR | Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team | KTM | +2'39 | |
| 6 | Rodrigues Helder | POR | Team HRC | Honda | +2'51 | |
| 7 | Klaumann Ike | BRA | Team Klaumann | Honda | +3'02 | |
| 8 | Casteu David | FRA | Team Casteu | KTM | +3'04 | |
| 9 | Zavatti Julio | BRA | Honda Mobil Rally | Honda | +3'34 | |
| 10 | Ribeiro de Castro Henrique | BRA | Sollavanco | Honda | +3'53 |
Provisional Standings after Stage 2
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coma Marc | SPA | Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team | KTM | 02:42'27 | |
| 2 | Goncalves Paulo | POR | Team HRC | Honda | +0.39 | |
| 3 | Azevedo Jean | BRA | Honda Mobil Rally | Honda | +2.16 | |
| 4 | Rodrigues Helder | POR | Team HRC | Honda | +2.52 | |
| 5 | Viladoms Jordi | SPA | Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team | KTM | +3.41 | |
| 6 | Faria Ruben | POR | Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team | KTM | +5.50 | |
| 7 | Sunderland Sam | GBR | Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team | KTM | +7.20 | |
| 8 | Casteu David | FRA | Team Casteu | KTM | +7.37 | |
| 9 | Sacilotti Ramon Oliveira | BRA | Kawasaki Rinaldi | Kawasaki | +7.49 | |
| 10 | Klaumann Ike | BRA | Team Klaumann | Honda | +7.53 |
Location Information
Dust, mud, brain-melting heat or damp cold, into the night, in dirt or asphalt roads, treks in the forest, ravines and flatlands. Crossing big cities and little villages, contacting simple, caring and hospitable people. All this is part of Sertões International Rally. Besides the bold competition, the event is also… read more.
Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil - View in Google Maps
