Stage 5 at the Hellas Rally returned to the more traditional loop specials after the “marathon” part of the race. It involved a 250km route, beginning and ending at the bivouac in Karpenisi via Lake Smokovo.
Tarrés started the day second in the general classification, less than eight minutes behind the overall leader, knowing that the fifth stage could be vital in deciding the race's outcome, with only the 120km Stage 6 left on Sunday.
Torrential rain made an already challenging special even harder due to deep mud and slippery rocks, but Tarrés fought through it all on his twin-cylinder GYTR-kitted Ténéré 700 World Raid. The Andorran never missed a beat with his navigation and backed up his consecutive podiums in the previous two stages with another superb ride.
He stayed in touch with his rivals on single-cylinder 450cc machines throughout the special, despite the tricky conditions being more suited to their bikes, before finishing the stage fifth in the Moto category.
The 29-year-old also took the M6 class (650cc-1300cc multi-cylinder motorbikes) victory for the third stage in a row, finishing the special in three hours, 23 minutes, and 35.36 seconds, just eight minutes and 8.39 seconds behind the winner of the stage.
Such a strong ride means that after completing over 1330km so far, Tarrés is now third in the Moto general classification, with an overall time of nineteen hours, 49 minutes and 34.68 seconds, only eight minutes and 43.57 seconds off the overall leader with one stage to go, plus he has an almost 40-minute advantage over his nearest rival at the top of the M6 class standings.
The final stage at the 2023 Hellas Rally is a short 120km loop, from the bivouac to Gardiki and back, and with less than nine minutes separating the top three riders in the Moto category, everything is all to play for in the victory battle.
