Falls haunt the irreducible Joan Barreda at the Dakar | Sports

Joan Barreda Bort (Torreblanca, Castelló; 40 years old) seems haunted by the falls. He is the driver with the third most victories in the history of the Dakar in the motorcycle category, with a total of 29 in 14 participations in the rally, but his aggressive and non-conservative style has earned him a reputation as one of the great heroes and pupae of the Dakar.bivouac. This Wednesday, once again, the native of Castellón was the victim of the most difficult race on the planet when he suffered a new accident that forced him to go to the medical center of the Shubaytah camp .

Barreda hit a cut dune in the last part of the course, with such a bad position that he hit his head and chest with the motorcycle in the fall. His sternum hurt a lot and the discomfort went up to his right shoulder. Visibly dazed upon his arrival at the Hero team caravans, the Indian project where he plans to end his racing career, he was able to reach the finish line of the short 118 kilometer special with a long connection (527km) between Al Hofuf and the enclave that serves as the gateway to the Rub Al Khali Desert, the largest continuous area of ​​sand in the world.

The mishap occurred a few kilometers from the finish, and the Spaniard crossed the finish line in 27th position, behind the best and 10m25s from the winner Pablo Quintanilla, his former Chilean teammate at Honda. Botswana’s Ross Branch has regained the lead in the general classification, where Barreda maintains 12th position, 48m02s behind his distinguished colleague. We do not yet know if the Spanish reference in the category in recent years will continue in the race now that the event enters the new format of 48 hours of marathon stage (without assistance). If he did, the native of Castellón would be responsible for opening the track in the 626 km special in inhospitable and unknown territory, after finishing last in the premier category during this Tuesday’s stage.

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