A solid set of results in the Sardinia Rally Race – the fourth round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship – keeps Team HRC firmly on track towards their ultimate goal this season. The rally sees the team accumulate more mileage while gaining valuable experience and insights.
Team HRC had headed into the unpredictable and demanding Sardinia Rally sharply focused on twin-objectives: taking home a respectable result and getting some serious kilometres of navigational practice under the belt. In spite of a setback on day two, where Paulo Gonçalves watched his chances of an overall win all but fade, the Portuguese rider was nevertheless able to put on a spectacular three-day final spurt, with a great display of concentration and speed, that rocketed him from 16th position to 4th in the general rankings.
Paulo Gonçalves’ efforts see him pull back points from the leaders as well as climbing several places to take fifth-spot in the championship table.
Taichi Honda – Team HRC Technical Director
We have completed our participation in the Sardegna Rally Race, where we were able to thoroughly test out navigational skills. The bike this time was an enduro rather than the usual rally model. Navigation in the Sardinia Rally is particularly difficult and it has been a good experience for Paulo. He had a hard struggle with some heavy rain on the way, but it has helped to gain experience, speed and a greater sense of navigation, so as a consequence, I think that it has been a good race. It’s a step forward in the championship, plus a step in the right direction ahead of the next Dakar Rally, which is our ultimate goal.