2019 Silk Way Rally: Hero MotoSports Team Rally's Paulo Goncalves finishes second in Stage 9
The ninth stage of the 2019 Silk Way Rally brought with it another strong finish for the Hero MotoSports Team Rally riders. Both Oriol Mena and Paulo Goncalves made it to the finish line of the rally safely.
Goncalves managed to take a sixth stage podium for the team, finishing second in the stage. The rider was just 43 seconds behind the stage winner despite the fact that the terrain had thrown up some of the most challenging off-piste trails thus far in the rally. Goncalves is now ranked 16th overall after nine stages of the rally.
"It was a beautiful stage today with lot of dunes and sand tracks. I felt really good during the stage and the bike worked perfectly as well. I finished just 43 sec behind the stage winner so it is a really good outcome for the team. I pushed myself hard today to improve my timing and speed with every stage. Now only one more day left in the Silkway Rally and I hope everything goes well tomorrow to finish my first rally with Hero MotoSports Team Rally," Goncalves said of his performance in the stage.
In the meanwhile, Mena finished the stage ninth, which puts him sixth overall in the standings, with one stage left before the end of the rally at the Jiagyuguan bivouac.
"It was a difficult stage towards the end with some really dangerous piste. I brought the bike to the finish stage safely for the team so I am really happy with that. I am feeling quite good and confident about my riding and looking forward to finish the Silkway Rally tomorrow," Mena said.
Provisional Rankings of the Stage 9
1. Andrew Short, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna, 03h 52m 28s
2. Paulo Goncalves, Hero MotoSports, +43s
3. Adrien Van Beveren, Yamaha Rally Team, +01m 45s
4. Sam Sunderland, RedBull KTM, +04m 19s
9. Oriol Mena, Hero MotoSports, +20m 51s
Overall Rankings at the end of the Stage 9
1. Sam Sunderland, RedBull KTM, 23h 27m 27s
2. Andrew Short, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna, +22m 51s
3. Adrien Van Beveren, Yamaha Rally Team, +23m 42s
6. Oriol Mena, Hero MotoSports, +48m 47s
16. Paulo Goncalves, Hero MotoSports, +50h 32m 29s
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Starts Rs 1,02,700
149cc
5-Speed
12.40
13.60
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