Dakar 2022: Honda's Joan Barreda tops stage 4

Honda's Joan Barreda pushed his machine to the limit over the 465 kilometres in stage 4, the longest of the Dakar Rally, to finish with the day's top time. Chilean rider Pablo Quintanilla put the icing on the cake for Monster Energy Honda Team by clinching the runner-up spot.

Hero MotoSports Team Rally, who created history by becoming the first Indian team to win a stage at the Dakar Rally, delivered a steady performance in Stage 4 with Joaquim Rodrigues and Aaron Maré finishing in the 24th and 26th places respectively,

in the Rally GP class. After winning his first-ever stage at the Dakar, JRod opened Stage 4 early morning from Al Qaisumah and managed to deliver a steady performance to maintain his 18th position in the overall rankings. 79 percent dirt, 12 percent dunes, 7 percent sand and 2 percent dried-out lake were on the menu for the longest stage of the competition.

A trial by fire for all those involved. There was a mix of different terrain types to be negotiated and some navigation too. All in all, a high-paced affair that would begin to mark out the riders who will end up in possible contention for the final Dakar prize.

The starting order for this fourth day set the stage for a promising race, particularly for Barreda, who came out guns blazing, firmly intent on victory and also on improving his position in the general standings. With flawless riding and navigational prowess, the Spanish rider reached the finish-line in Riyadh and currently holds seventh position, just over thirteen minutes shy of the overall leader.

Barreda was penalised one minute for exceeding the speed limit in a radar zone. Quintanilla also performed well. The Chilean turned out a very steady stage, consistently among the top three, climbing up one position in the order in the latter half of the day.

Quinta improved on his position in the table and now lies sixth, eleven minutes and thirteen seconds behind the race leader. Ricky Brabec, who set off from sixth this morning in Al Qaisumah, had a fairly good day, posting 10th, but Brabec also received a two-minute penalty for speeding in a controlled area.