Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain take on the Dakar

HUSQVARNA RALLYE TEAM BY SPEEDBRAIN EARNS SIX PODIUMS AND ONE STAGE VICTORY

The Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain offers a positive summary of the recent Rally Dakar. Four out of five riders reached the finish in Lima. This debut result is highly encouraging for the team and the Husqvarna brand, as the new bike proved its worthiness right away - completing the race without a single technical failure.

The highlights were six podium finishes and one stage victory. This was part of the initial objective, which the team had set for the Dakar 2012. The team was consistently fast with two riders regularly up front - even if the aim to put one rider on the overall podium couldn't be fulfilled.

The outstanding motivation of the team was tested with the jury decision against Paulo Goncalves. Also, Joan Barreda had bad luck during stages three and four, when he suffered from a crash and a broken rear wheel, which cost him valuable time. Barreda couldn´t make up the loss until the race end.

By the way... Joan Barreda was considered by many to be the revelation of this year´s Dakar. He was matching the speed of the top riders and is widely tipped to be the one to watch.

Final standings

1. Cyril Despres (FRA) KTM 43:28:11 hrs
2. Marc Coma (SPA) KTM, 53:20 min behind
3. Helder Rodrigues (POR) Yamaha, 1:11:17
4. Jordi Viladoms (SPA) KTM, 1:40:56
5. Stefan Svitko (SVK) KTM, 1:47:28
11. Joan Barreda (SPA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, 3:37:25
19. Zé Hélio (BRA) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, 6:16:35
23. Jose Manuel Pellicer (SPA), Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, 7:41:09
26. Paulo Goncalves (POR) Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, 8:10:26
41.Pedro Bianchi Prata (Husqvarna)
71.Jorge Gomez (Husqvarna)
83.Rodrigo Illanes (Husqvarna)

Manufacturer´s/Team statistics, podium finishes

1. KTM, 27
2. Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain, 6
3. Yamaha, 2
3. Sherco, 2
5. Aprilia, 1
5. Honda, 1