Barreda leads Dakar Rally following stage two
Improvement for Price as he climbs inside top 10 overall.
Image: Supplied.
Monster Energy Honda’s Joan Barreda has moved into the lead of the 2018 Dakar Rally after topping the second stage overnight.
Sunday’s course featured a total of 279 kilometres with 95 percent of the distance against the clock, as Barreda gave a master class in speed with a commanding performance in the special stage.
The Spaniard completed the course 2m54s ahead of stage runner-up Adrien Van Beveren (Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team), with Matthias Walkner (Red Bull KTM) crossing the line in third overall and a further 1m30s in arrears.
Opening stage winner and defending Dakar Rally champion Sam Sunderland (Red Bull KTM) endured a more challenging day on Sunday, six minutes behind in seventh position and dropping him to fourth in the overall classification.
Australian Toby Price (Red Bull KTM) showed signs of improvement by capturing 10th overall on the stage and moving him to that same position outright. Countryman Rodney Faggotter (Yamalube Yamaha Official Rally Team) was 22nd in the stage and now sits 21st overall, while rookie Scott Britnell (Grit Adventures KTM) sits 81st.
Leaving the Pisco bivouac and heading towards the city of San Juan de Marcona, Monday’s third stage of the Dakar Rally will see competitors contest a 296km-long timed special in the dunes of south Peru.
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