Dakar 2012, Stage 3
San Rafael - San Juan
563 km in total, 270 km special test
Hell of stones followed by podium!
Paulo Goncalves lived up to his promise and attacked at
today´s stage three of the Dakar 2012. The Portuguese
member of the Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain finished
third during an extremely difficult Andes stage from San
Rafael to San Juan. Goncalves improved dramatically to
seventh place in the standings.
It was a race day like hardly ever before in Dakar history.
Some at the bivouac even called it
"Erzberg"-like.
The course offered extreme stone passages and navigation
was tricky also. Coming from 21st position, Paulo
Goncalves´ error-free ride was rewarded with a podium
result and a leap into the top ten.
Joan Barreda also wanted to fire a warning. The Spaniard
followed race leader Marc Coma in the opening minutes, but
crashed at Km 20 and had to fight back with a damaged
navigation device. Nevertheless he managed to re-join the
title holder. But bad luck happened again a few kilometres
from the finish. Barreda´s chain jumped off and jammed the
drivetrain. It took him a while to fix the problem, the
team newcomer eventually lost 41 minutes.
Zé Hélio meanwhile rode a solid race and ended the day near
the Top 20. "I never experienced a day like
this,"
the Brazilian said. "It was the most extreme and
technical stuff I´ve ever ridden." While Jose Manuel
Pellicer came home inside the Top 30, Ike Klaumann crashed
and injured himself. The race is over for the likeable
Brazilian.
Wednesday´s programme is expected to be difficult and long
again. The total distance from San Juan to Chilecito is
over 700 km, 326 of them being a special test. The scenic
Rioja canyons will demand good navigational skills.
1. Cyril Despres (FRA) KTM, 3:48:38 Std
2. Frans Verhoeven (NEL) Sherco, 8:37 min behind
3. Paulo Goncalves (POR) Husqvarna Rallye Team by
Speedbrain, 8:39
4. Helder Rodrigues (POR) Yamaha, 10:03
5. Alain Duclos (FRA) Aprilia, 11:12
22. Zé Hélio (BRA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain,
29:15
30. Jose Manuel Pellicer (SPA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by
Speedbrain, 33:15
34. Joan Barreda (SPA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain,
41:24
Overall standings
1. Despres 7:31:42 hrs
2. Marc Coma (SPA) KTM, 10:12 min behind
3. David Casteu (FRA) Yamaha, 17:16
4. Francisco Lopez (CHI) Aprilia, 17:37
7. Paulo Goncalves (POR) Husqvarna Rallye Team by
Speedbrain, 26:00
20. Joan Barreda (SPA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain,
46:48
22. Zé Hélio (BRA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain,
47:30
33. Jose Manuel Pellicer (SPA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by
Speedbrain, 1:06:54
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