It’s Only Cheating if You Get Caught
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Marc Coma got busted with a six-hour penalty in Stage 7, dashing his title hopes.
Marc Coma is a proven winner – and cheater. But in the world of rally raid, the two are sometimes directly linked. Dakar is the biggest and baddest raid on the planet and it takes an enormous effort to be successful at it. Riders have to be physically prepared, mentally tough and have a strong mechanical knowledge – and that’s just to finish. In order to win, you have to be exceptional in every way, not to mention a little lucky and, in many cases, willing to be creative out on the course.
Desert races such as the Dakar Rally and SCORE-International Baja 1000 have started cracking down on rule-breaking. Coma got a 22-minute slap on the wrist for speeding in Stage 1. Compared to that, the penalty laid down for receiving outside assistance on Stage 7 was like getting punched in the face - and then kicked square in the junk when he was down. The Spaniard already had his work cut out for him with over an hour to make up on Cyril Despres, but thanks to the six additional hours tacked on by race officials, Coma is almost guaranteed to lose his crown as reigning Dakar champ.
Coma isn’t the only one cutting corners, that’s for sure. Unfortunately, he’s the one who got caught.
Post Tags: 2010 Dakar Rally, Marc Coma, KTM
