The Sealine Qatar Rally opened today with a special stage of 405 kilometres, as this second round of the FIM Cross Country Rally World Championship got underway.
Following an early morning start Paulo Goncalves was able to find a good rhythm right away. The Portuguese offroad ace was gaining ground on his competitors quickly and found himself soon at the head of the field together with arch rival Marc Coma. The two continued to lead the chase after their refuelling stop and eventually crossed the finish line with Coma first and Goncalves 2:04 minutes behind. U.S. rider Quinn Cody ended his first outing after an injury in ninth place.
Paulo Goncalves: "That was a long and difficult day. The final 30 km were dunes, but for the most part it was fast, very stoney and hard-pack. Navigation was critical and a key to finish well. There were only a few reference points in the desert, you could easily lose a lot of time making a mistake. I was doing fine though and had a nice rhythm. Tomorrow it´s almost the same distance (413 km) and another hard day´s work ahead. My Speedbrain 450 Rally worked brilliantly."
Quinn Cody: "Today I had to warm myself up in many ways. It has been a five-month break since my last race and I wanted to get further familiar with my new bike. I also had to deal with the very demanding navigation. I kept calm and concentrated and didn´t rush anything; it was very dangerous. Thankfully, my bike was up to the task."
Communication Speedbrain GmbH - press.speedbrain.de -