A victory that serves to make up much of the lost time and get back into the fight for the Dakar is very special, but if it serves to make history it has an even sweeter flavor. Joan Barreda is already a legend of the Dakar and of national motorcycling after becoming the Spanish rider with the most stage victories in the toughest rally-raid in the world. The Castellón already has 28 partial victories in the Dakar, one more than Jordi Arcarons and has only five wins the absolute record in the category shared by the French Stéphane Peterhansel and Cyril Despres.
He had started the Dakar on the wrong foot, succumbing to the critical point of the first stage. With a string of lost minutes, the ghosts of past editions were not long in coming. Joan Barreda knows that the opportunities to win the long-awaited ‘Touareg’ are beginning to be very limited and losing almost 42 minutes on the first day was a serious setback for the Honda rider. However, ‘Bang Bang’ has returned by virtue of its privileges and with an excellent performance it has taken the victory in the second stage of the rally. There is still work to be done, but the distance with the leader is already 20 minutes and 25 seconds.
A victory of incalculable value on a historical level, but also in the present and for the immediate future. For the moment, Joan Barreda is already the Spanish rider with the most stage wins in the Dakar motorcycle category and is fully involved in the fight for the final victory. Getting the first ‘Touareg’ may come hand in hand with approaching the absolute record of 33 motorcycle victories held by Stéphane Peterhansel and Cyril Despres. It is clear that Barreda is already a legend, but he still has this great combined goal in mind.. And he has the pace and the talent to do it.
Piloting errors, crashes, numerous injuries and some bad luck have made Joan Barreda’s relationship with the Dakar not idyllic, but without a doubt the Torreblanca rider is one of the fastest ‘motards’ of the last two decades. His first steps with an Aprilia in the toughest rally-raid in the world showed his innate ability, endorsed in the Dakar 2012 with his first stage victory on the back of a Husqvarna. Four more obtained the following year with the same brand, while the remaining 22 have been achieved with Honda, the manufacturer with whom he now wants to climb to the top of the Dakar podium at once.