2019 Silk Way Rally: Hero MotoSports riders Mena and Goncalves take second and third in Stage 2

The first of the long stages of the 2019 Silk Way Rally was held today, moving from Baykalsk to Ulan-Ude. The stage consisted of a total distance of 411.5km, including a special stage of 212 km. The Hero MotoSports Team Rally riders, who had managed to end the first day of the rally in the top 10, consolidated their positions, doing very well in Stage 2, breaking into the top 5.

Oriol Mena is sixth overall in the 2019 Silk Way Rally after two stages of rallying

The stage offered fast navigation in a diverse set of landscapes to the competitors, starting with a stony broken road section filled with water holes, then following up with an endure style  special section passing through the forest, river bridges and Siberian hills. The stage ended in a fast dash to the finish line across steep plateaus.

Oriol Mena rode very hard, catching several riders ahead of him, ending the stage in second place. This has moved him up the order in the overall rankings, to sixth position. Speaking of his performance Mena said, "I rode really well today and am quite happy with the results. It was a fast stage today with muddy holes to start with. I rode carefully in this section to avoid any crashes. After about 100kms, the terrain changed into a fast piste and hard ground. Finally, after 150 kms of eating a lot of dust at the back of the lead pack, I pushed hard and managed to overtake the rider in front of me. I am feeling good on the bike and quite confident, so happy to see the back of one more day."

Paulo Goncalves is currently ranked third overall in the 2019 Silk Way Rally after two stages

Paulo Goncalves finished the second stage of the rally in third place, which moved him up the order to third overall in the rankings. "It was a good stage for me today. There were a lot of stones
and water fills in the beginning but 90% of the stage was in forest terrain. Towards the end it
became a bit slippery but the bike handled superbly. It's just the beginning of the rally so my focus
is on arriving in the same way for the rest of the rally," he said of his stage.

Provisional Rankings of the Stage 2
1. Sam Sunderland Redbull KTM 02h 20m 30s
2. Oriol Mena Hero MotoSports +39s
3. Paulo Goncalves Hero MotoSports +50s
4. Kevin Benavides Monster Energy Honda +01m 07s
5. Joan Barreda Monster Energy Honda +02m 40s

Overall Rankings at the end of the Stage 2
1. Kevin Benavides Monster Energy Honda 02h 52m 28s
2. Sam Sunderland Red Bull KTM +08s
3. Paulo Goncalves Hero MotoSports +01m 19s
4. Luciano Benavides Redbull KTM +02m 25s
5. Joan Barreda Monster Energy Honda +02m 39s
6. Oriol Mena Hero MotoSports +03m 03s