BAJA ARAGON
Sunday July 23
Leg 3: Barrachina - Caude
Special : 184.05 km
At the end of the third and final leg of the second round of the FIM Bajas Cross-Country World Cup, Joan Barreda (Honda) climbed to the top of the podium for the fourth time. At his side, in second position, was Joan Pedrero (Sherco) after a magnificent performance, likewise for Michael Metge (Honda) in third. Arnoldo Martins (Suzuki) won the quads, followed by Mario Gajon (KTM) and Miguel Antonio Esteban (KTM), who also topped the Junior rankings.
Once again, Joan Barreda (Honda) pulverised the speed records and dominated the category, despite eight minutes of time penalties that a number of riders, almost all of them to be honest, had to accept.
“It is not easy to win Baja Aragon,” said the Castellón rider. “But I am really happy to take the win for the fourth time. I’ve had many moments where things were not going well for me but I am glad that I managed to overcome them. I was able to show that the Honda is always fast and, thanks to this performance, I was able to keep in a faster rhythm than the other competitors. This weekend, I attacked and I succeeded.”
It was a competitive race over the three days but Joan Pedrero managed to slip between the two Hondas and put his Sherco into second position ahead of Michael Metge (Honda).
“Finally, I am on the podium,” commented the Frenchman. “But what really matters is that we were able to keep up a fast pace all through the weekend. I really enjoyed riding the Honda without taking any unnecessary risks. It’s a pity that I was given five minutes of penalties because the GPS did not work. It was, nevertheless, good training for us and I am happy that Joan was able to win the race.”
In fourth position, we find Adria (Yamaha), followed by España (KTM). The second Sherco rider, Prabhakar, was 13th while his team-mate Adrien Metge finished 17th in front of Charles Cuypers .
In the ladies category, Sara Garcia (Yamaha) too the laurels ahead of Rosa Romero (KTM) and Rita Viera (Beta).
In the quads, Arnaldo Martins and his Suzuki won the FIM Bajas World Cup category with more than a 30-minute margin to his rival Mario Gajón (KTM) and Junior winner Miguel Antonio Esteban (KTM).
Congratulations to everyone who took part. The next round will take place in Hungary in August.
Bikes -SS4:
1. J. Barreda (Honda) in 2h14’03
2. D. Adrià (Yamaha) @ 1’18
3. J. Pedrero (Sherco) @ 2’50
4. . M. Metge (Honda) @ 3’05
5. C.España (KTM) @ 5’50
Bikes – overall:
1. J. Barreda (Honda) in 6h50’12
2. J. Pedrero (Sherco) @ 6’17
3. M. Metge (Honda) @ 7’43
4. D. Adrià (Yamaha) @ 8’33
5. C.España (KTM) @ 19’19
Quads - SS4:
1.M. Gajon in 2h34’04
2. A. Martins @ 1’04
3. M. Esteban @ 3’01
4. J. Kalinowski @ 10’59
5. P. Samek @ 12’17
Quads – overall:
1. A. Martins in 7h28’36
2. M. Gajon @ 32’38
3. M. Esteban @ 34’03
4. P. Samek @ 41’01
5. J. Kalinowski @ 1h14’18
FIM Communication
Photo credit: Rally Zone