Joan Barreda’s career at the Dakar began in 2011 and since then the Spaniard has always been in the game, fighting for stage wins and the overall standings in every edition. His twelfth Dakar, in which he ran the whole second week with a broken left collarbone and major bruises all over that side of his body, allowed him to equal his best result to date: fifth.
At the finish line in Qiya, following the end of the rally’s final special stage, the Honda driver made it clear to Motorsport.com that it is not a result he is thrilled with, but must be judged on the basis of the circumstances.
“It is clear that the result is not the best … He is fifth place, with a broken collarbone and having lost 40 minutes on the first day. And the other I had obtained with a penalty of one hour (in 2017 for an illegal refueling). I am left with the good mentality I had, all the work I did during the year and not having thrown in the towel. In the end there are races that are good and others that are not, but the important thing was to show all that work “, assured Barreda.
With his contract with Honda expiring, when asked about his future, Barreda said: “I worked every day for about seven months, without rest even on weekends, now I need to rest and then we will have time to think about it. Up to now I have done a little bit like this, especially in recent years, setting myself goals and having clear that the mentality, ambition and motivation must be 100% or otherwise it does not make sense, because in the end I have already had a long career “.
“I haven’t made a decision yet, because the goal was to make an effort and work harder than ever. Now we will analyze everything. The important thing is that I always have the same feelings on the bike. I feel fast, with the same mentality, with the same desire, which in the end is what sets me the tone. “
In the past, the Spaniard hasn’t ruled out the possibility of making the switch to four wheels, but, in his words, it looks like he wants to continue on a bike for another year. With 29 stage wins, making him the third most successful in Dakar history, he is now only four wins away from equaling the all-time record (33) held by Stephane Peterhansel and Cyril Despres.
At the age of 38, Barreda was able to continue fighting with the new generation riders, most of them from motocross. He believes the keys to this are dedication and hard work.
“The Dakar has clearly evolved a lot, the level has risen in every sense, in the bikes, in the teams, in the navigation, in the races. It has not stopped increasing every year. Thanks to the work I do every day, I keep the level high and this is very important to me, and I also think that a lot of people like it and see it, so this is the biggest prize for me, “he concluded.
# 88 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Joan Barreda Bort
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# 88 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Joan Barreda Bort
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# 88 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Joan Barreda Bort, # 7 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Pablo Quintanilla, # 11 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo, # 2 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Ricky Brabec
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# 88 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Joan Barreda Bort, # 7 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Pablo Quintanilla, # 11 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo, # 2 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Ricky Brabec
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# 88 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Joan Barreda Bort, # 7 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Pablo Quintanilla, # 11 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo, # 2 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Ricky Brabec
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# 88 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Joan Barreda Bort, # 7 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Pablo Quintanilla, # 11 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo
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# 88 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Joan Barreda Bort, # 7 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Pablo Quintanilla, # 11 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo
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# 77 Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing: Luciano Benavides, # 88 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Joan Barreda Bort
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# 88 Monster Energy Honda Team 2022: Joan Barreda Bort
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