Honda Wins Vegas-Reno
Monday, August 21, 2017 at 1:58PM Honda's Barreda and Brabec clinch Vegas-Reno victory
Honda Racing's Joan Barreda and Ricky Brabec have taken the top honours with a one-two victory in the 21st edition of one of the United States’ most prestigious races - the Vegas to Reno.
After triumphing in the 2017 Baja Aragon in July, Joan Barreda once again turned on the winning style, this time at the V2R held this weekend in the Nevada desert. Alongside fellow Honda Team member Ricky Brabec (USA), the Honda CRF450 RALLYs dominated throughout the longest off-road race in the United States.
Barreda and Brabec were outstanding in the 539-miles race (864 kilometres). Setting a blistering pace from the very start in Las Vegas, the duo were soon in the lead and it was pedal-to-the-metal all the way to the finish-line in Reno, where the pair arrived with a lengthy advantage over rivals. All this despite a spill for Ricky Brabec just after the race’s halfway point. The team had been supported throughout by Johnny Campbell with assistance from JCR-Honda.
Both riders came through the tough test with flying colours, as they once again add their names to the honours list. Joan Barreda was victorious last year while Brabec won the 2014 edition. The Spanish rider finished with a total time of 8:56′.
"We are very pleased with this win at the Vegas to Reno," told Barreda. "It's my second race of the season where we clinched the victory; so that’s mission accomplished. I wish to thank Johnny Campbell and the whole team for all the support, not just here in the race, but for all the facilities we have had all year round, in the testing and for the quality navigation-filled stages.
"I'm already focusing on the next race, the Ruta 40, a very different race with a lot of navigation. So far we have prioritized sprint races, to build speed, and now we are starting with the navigation, which might be a bit trickier in the beginning, but that’s what we’ve planned and we hope that everything works out well."
Results
1. Brabec, Barreda - Honda, 08:56’22.892
2. Argubright, Shirey - Husqvarna, 09:12’13.810
3. Cooper, Pearson - Honda, 09:43’11.649
4. Spaise, Damon - Yamaha, 09:51’35.332
5. Stevens, Schlapia - Husqvarna, 09:56’22.633
6. Brittner, Tichenor - KTM, 10:00’05.521
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