Rally Raid: Alessandro Botturi won in Sardinia
Both missing the Pharaon’s rally, third round of the FIM Rally Raid World Championship, the factory Honda and KTM teams were back in Sardinia for the fourth round of the series. Factory teams Yamaha and Sherco were also involved in this race, but it’s finally Alessandro Botturi who won this race on his Husqvarna Michelin.
The Sardinia rally can’t be compared to any other round of the World championship, as the design of the stages and the navigation looks like more to Enduro than rally. And logically former Enduro star Alessandro Botturi was at his best in this race, riding as most of his rivals a 450 Enduro bike modified. Leading the race after the second of the five days, Botturi did a perfect race, winning one stage and avoiding any navigation mistake to get a clear win ahead of Marc Coma (KTM Michelin).
Three times winner in Sardinia, the Spaniard did a strong race to take the second place seven minutes behind Botturi; as former World Championship leader Joan Barreda (Honda Michelin) struggled with a broken road book during the marathon stage and later a crash in the last stage, Coma is the new leader of the World Championship. Barreda seventh in Sardinia, and Paulo Goncalves (Honda Michelin) third are now second and third in the standings. With most of the stages divided in two timed specials, many riders enjoyed a timed special win: Olivier Pain (Yamaha Michelin); Joan Pedrero (Sherco Michelin), Gerard Farres (Gas Gas), Marc Coma, Paolo Gonçalves and Joan Barreda. Mickael Metge (Yamaha Michelin) got injured (knee ligaments) in a collision with another rider during one stage, and could have surgery in the next days.
Alessandro Botturi: “During the first two stages I rode calm and didn’t took any risks, just keeping the pace with the leaders. It’s just during the last stage that I manage to control my rivals, I didn’t do it earlier as I wanted to stay focus on the race and the navigation, I had a lot of fun during this race to find the best way in the stages!”
Final classification of the Sardinia Rally Race 2014:
1.Botturi (ITA, HVA Michelin) in 15h11’05’’; 2.Coma (SPA, KTM Michelin) at 7’44; 3.Farres (SPA, Gas Gas) at 12’21; 4.Goncalves (POR, Honda Michelin) at 22’50; 5.Mancini (ITA, Beta) at 25’54; 6.Pain (FRA, Yamaha Michelin) at 27’49 ; 7.Barreda (SPA, Honda Michelin) at 35’11 ; 8.Faria (POR, KTM Michelin) at 35’35 ; 9.Moléon Hernandez (SPA, KTM) zt 40’05 ; 10.Pedrero (SPA, Sherco Michelin) at 41’15’’ ; etc..