It´s an inaugural victory for Husqvarna at a desert rally. Joan Barreda is the winner of the Pharaons Rally 2012 in Egypt. The Speedbrain pilot emphasised his exceptional talent by taking three of six stages during the race held this week from Monday to Saturday. Barreda finished the closing stage in fourth position, as his team mate Paulo Goncalves owned the final 425km from Tibniya to Gizeh. “Speedy” Goncalves tried whatever he could to make up for his navigation error from yesterday´s stage, but the Portuguese couldn´t re-gain enough ground on his rivals Jakub Przygonski and Jordi Viladoms, therefore missing the overall podium of the FIM Cross Country Rally World Championship.
The mission for Barreda meanwhile was to control today´s action from the front. The 29-year-old was riding a tactical stage aboard his Husqvarna TE 449RR by Speedbrain. Barreda could rely on a lead of more than 17 minutes and didn´t need to take any risks, bringing home the historic win in a calculated manner.
Overall winner Joan Barreda: “It´s been a phantastic performance and I´m overjoyed for Husqvarna and the Speedbrain team to take this legendary victory. My TE 449RR by Speedbrain is a dream in all situations. Amazingly fast, well-handling and totally reliable. A big thank you goes to my team and to the mechanics for their hard work and this superb bike.”
Stage winner Paulo Goncalves: “I´m happy for Joan and the team. To win this traditional race is a major feat. Obviously I´m disappointed having made that mistake yesterday. I did what I could today, it just wasn´t quite enough. The team is great and I´m certain we will achieve further more down the road. My congrats to Jakub and Jordi for landing on the world championship podium.”
Team principal Wolfgang Fischer: “Unbelievable, awesome – I´m extremely delighted for Joan and the team. This win is a milestone in our young team history. Paulo missed the world championship podium, but we took the vice world title in the constructors championship for Husqvarna. We worked very hard at this rally project and were able to form a winning package in little time. I´d like to thank the BMW Group and Husqvarna for their first-class cooperation. Ultimately it has also been Monster Energy, all our sponsoring partners and our super-fast technical suppliers who made this success possible. We´ll have a party tonight before we´re starting to look towards Morocco, where we will be lining up from next weekend.”
Results Stage 6 (unofficial):
1. Paulo Goncalves (Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain)
2. Juan Carlos Salvatierra (Honda) 00:51 min behind,
3. Jordi Viladoms (Bordone Ferrari) 1:57,
4. Joan Barreda (Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain) 3:51,
5. Jakub Przygonsky (KTM) 6:09
Final standings Pharaons Rally (unofficial):
1. Joan Barreda (Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain),
2. Jakub Przygonsky (KTM),
3. Jordi Viladoms (Bordone Ferrari),
4. Paulo Goncalves (Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain),
5. Juan Carlos Salvatierra (Honda)
