It doesn’t get closer than this. In one of the most dramatic finishes in rally history, Speedbrain rider Paulo Goncalves misses the win at the Sealine Cross Country Rally by a heartbeat. The Portuguese offroad ace finishes the four-day desert race in Qatar behind Marc Coma and by one of the smallest margins imaginable in this endurance sport.
Goncalves and Coma fought tooth and nail at this second round of the FIM Cross Country Rally World Championship. After more than 14 hours of timed special stages and over 1,600 kilometres of race distance the final decision came down to the wire. Goncalves started the day lying 2:04 minutes behind Coma in the overall standings. Coma was scheduled to open Friday´s decisive proceedings, with Goncalves following two minutes behind.
And indeed the long-time Speedbrain pilot could close the gap under once again tricky navigation circumstances. The two Iberians powered their bikes to the limit and all the way to finish line. Ultimately, after 286 additional kilometres of special stage on Friday, both took the chequered flag at the Sealine Beach Resort side by side – with Goncalves missing out on the overall victory by just four seconds.
Paulo ´Speedy´ Goncalves: “I am extremely happy about this top result for my Speedbrain team. It has been a very difficult and close race. Marc Coma and I battled tooth and nail, fair and square. Congratulations to him for this narrow victory. We have shown that the Speedbrain 450 Rally bike is capable of winning and competitive in all types of terrain. The world´s best are riding on the same level nowadays. To finish this race without major mistakes and without technical problems is an achievement in itself. It´s a confirmation of our intensive work. I´m already looking forward to the next race and feel motivated to battle for the win again.”
Quinn Cody: “The Sealine Rally here in Qatar has everything to measure yourself and prepare further challenges. I´m not fully back to my best, but I´m improving, learning more about navigation and I´m gaining my confidence back. My new Speedbrain 450 Rally is an incredible bike on every type of soil: sand, stones, full throttle, whatever. I can´t wait for the next races and know what I have to keep working on. Thanks for the great support by Speedbrain and Monster Energy.”
Wolfgang Fischer: “A fantastic start to our world championship campaign, even if we missed the victory by a few seconds both in Abu Dhabi and Qatar. We´re delighted to be that competitive as a new manufacturer and we´ve been able to further gain ground. Congrats to Paulo, he´s done a superb job twice and showed no nerves. We´re now second in the world standings. The recent customer version of the Speedbrain 450 Rally will be available shortly.”