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Adventure Galicia Rally 2023: Joan Pedrero wins the A Estrada Adventure Galicia Rally.
Fifteen-time Dakar competitor Joan Pedrero asserts his dominance in A Estrada by winning each of the five stages of the Adventure Galicia Rally.
The fifth and final stage of the A Estrada Rally began with the overall standings frozen in their podium positions since the second day of the race when Joan Pedrero secured his first-place position, achieved the day before, and Matteo Bottino and Rubén Saldaña climbed to second and third place, respectively.
With a significant lead of 55 minutes and 51 seconds in the overall standings over his closest pursuer, Joan Pedrero went on the attack in this final stage to further increase that lead by another 15 minutes. The rider from Canet de Mar claimed victory in this fantastic Galician rally, dominating from the first stage and adding more minutes of difference in each of them over his immediate rivals. Matteo Bottino and Rubén Saldaña were unable to close the gap in the pursuit of the first place but defended their positions by doing an excellent job, securing second and third place on the overall leaderboard, respectively.
Joan Pedrero: "I've won five out of five stages, and it's something that makes me very happy because I didn't train much with this bike, just the last week before coming, and I felt very comfortable with the navigation; I followed the one marking the route, and I think that was the key. Not getting nervous and being a veteran helps you stay calm, and in the end, we were able to win all the special stages, especially while leading. I'm saying it every day: congratulations to the organization; it's been impressive. It's an incredible race with exceptional terrain and forests. I highly recommend it, and I hope it continues to be held every year."
Matteo Bottino: "The race has been fantastic. The landscapes are amazing, and the roadbook was very good, with some incorrect notes, but for six days of racing, it was really good. The organization has also been very good. I'm sure I'll be back next year. My feelings with the terrain and the race have been good even though the bike was new and I hadn't tested it before the prologue, so I can do better. I'll try to make sure my bike is the winner next year."
Rubén Saldaña: "I'm very happy with the third position. The race went well, but in the prologue, right at the beginning, I had a setback that set me back quite a bit, and I lost fifteen minutes that I had to recover gradually. As the stages went by, I tried to be consistent, and I stayed more or less with the rest, with mistakes and problems but solving them day by day. We reached the last day with a chance to finish third, and we maintained it, so I'm very happy. A Estrada and Galicia welcomed us wonderfully. I want to thank the municipalities and the motorcycle club because I know that in the current times, it's not easy to organize these types of events, so infinite thanks."
Scoring for the European Rally TT Championship, the three fastest riders were Matteo Bottino, Christian Pastori, and Milos Sochor, while for the Spanish Rally TT Championship, Joan Pedrero, Rubén Saldaña, and Adriá Pascuet secured the first, second, and third positions, respectively. In the Enduro category, Rubén Saldaña took the top spot on the podium, followed by Adriá Pascuet and Xavier Amo. In the Trail category, Joan Pedrero, Charlie Julia, and Brian Gómez occupied the top positions in the standings, and in the Maxitrail category, Alberto Yañez, Toni Povedano, and Francisco Javier Sola claimed the top spots. In the Open Adventure category, the fastest riders were Matyas Cervenka, Franck Poulet, and Santos Pastor, securing the first, second, and third positions, respectively.
The A Estrada rally concludes its first edition, leaving a fantastic impression on riders, support teams, and fans who didn't want to miss the international Rally TT event in Spanish territory. An organization that lived up to expectations and a meticulously prepared roadbook in the spectacular setting of the Galician region have been the hallmarks of an event with a distinct identity, indicating excellent prospects for this discipline in Spain.
All standings can be found here: https://clasif.anube.es/ss?rallyId=105
Source: Pablo Pillado. Photos: Ingine Creators
Helder