4th Special: Qasr Al Sarab - Qasr Al Sarab
Link section: 127.81 km - Special: 239.68 km – Link section: 11.20 km – Total: 378.69 km
This morning, after a link section of over 120 km, the riders lined up and set off in waves of 15. The sun was already high in the sky and the atmosphere was milky with humidity... At the finish, the thermometer was flirting with 42°C and the riders eagerly gulped down the water dispensed by the stewards.
The first to take the flag was Joan Barreda (Honda) who won the Special ahead of Coma (KTM), Gonçalves (Honda), Viladoms (KTM), Rodrigues (Honda) and Albalooshi (KTM).
Sam Sunderland was the unlucky one today. While he was leading the Special, he broke the swing arm of his KTM. “ It’s a pity but that’s part of what racing’s about” said the young Englishman philosophically. “That’s why winning is so special. I loved riding with Marc. It was a great experience for me and I learned a lot.”
At the finish, Joan Barreda poured water over his head and exclaimed: “It was a great day. I loved the in-line start and a bunch of us road together up to the refuelling station. After that, I got my head down and attacked flat out to get the stage win and scrape a few seconds on the leader board.”
Marc Coma is still in the overall lead but with a lead of only 1’31 over Gonçalves who will be starting two minutes behind him tomorrow. “It was a difficult stage”, said the Portuguese FIM Cross Country Rallies World Champion. “The pace was a bit slow at the start but after refuelling, I was able to go for it. I also got stuck in the sand once and that lost me some time. Now I am not far behind Marc and we’ll see how things pan out tomorrow…”
Top of the leader board in Quads, Rafal Sonik came 10th (provisional) in the Special. “At the in-line start, I ate a lot of dust and I think the sand got into my engine’s air filter as the engine stopped three times and I went over the handlebars. Fortunately, I there was no harm done but I lost a few precious minutes… Now I need a good shower and to change the air filter, then everything will go swimmingly for the last stage tomorrow.”