The Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain finishes an excellent Dakar 2013

The Dakar 2013 has officially ended today with a spectacular victory and closing ceremony. Taking part were all teams who successfully finished the 35th edition of the Mother of all Rallies.

#5 Husqvarna: Joan Barreda

Photo by: Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain

The Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain was considered to be a podium threat upon only its second participation.

Although the team ultimately couldn´t quite meet the expectations, the squad led by Team Manager Wolfgang Fischer can be very satisfied with the result.

Altogether 12 podium spots were achieved, among them four stage victories.

This underlines the ambitions to play a leading role and makes a bold statement for the upcoming rally season and the Dakar 2014.

Wolfgang Fischer, Team Manager Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain: "We took part with a great team and well prepared. The stage victories and the many podium spots have emphasised the winning capabilities of the team.

We all could see that especially Joan Barrada is a certain front-runner. All riders, mechanics and the whole staff have shown fighting spirit despite some challenges. I am happy we all arrived here safe and sound.

After the Dakar is before the Dakar, that´s why we together with our partner Husqvarna Motorcycles and the BMW Group will start into the new season already next week."

Stefan Krause, Technical Director Husqvarna Rallye Team by Speedbrain: "We worked for one year towards the Dakar and made enormous progress in the development.

The chassis and related components were developed from scratch after the Dakar 2012. The victory at the Pharaons Rally and the runner-up finish at the Morocco Rallye confirmed the concept.

The Dakar remains the toughest rally on earth and no test environment can simulate this race at 100 per cent. We´ve shown with our stage results that our bike is presently one of the best on the market.

I´d like to take the opportunity to thank all our partners and suppliers for their support."

Berthold Hauser, Dakar Project leader BMW Motorrrad: "Congratulations to the whole team for the fantastic effort. The whole staff did an outstanding job from the word go all the way to the finish line, always working highly professional.

Although we had targetted a podium result, we can definitely say that our day performances saw us at the front. The team participated only for the second time with the new motorcycle concept.

We collected a lot of valuable experience you can only gather here. Hats off to team principal Wolfgang Fischer for this achievement. The team is well positioned for the future with him at the helm.

Things move on and everyone´s fired up for the new Rally World Championship campaign and obviously for the Dakar 2014."

Husqvarna Rallye Team