Marc Coma may be down, but don't count him out yet. The KTM ace grabbed another victory in Stage 9.
Showcasing his never-say-die attitude, KTM’s Marc Coma earned his 10th career stage victory today with the best time during Stage 9 of the 2010 Dakar Rally and moved up to 18th in the overall standings.
Foggy conditions greeted race officials this morning causing them to delay the start and shorten the special. At 11:00 a.m. riders lined up side-by-side in groups of twenty for the start of the 106-mile race. Though shortened, today’s special wasn’t much easier as riders went back into the sandbox winding through fast unmarked sections with one fuel stop and one check point.
Navigation proved to be tricky early on and Coma and Yamaha’s David Fretigne made a wrong turn sending them three miles in the wrong direction. However, 44 miles into the special and the Spaniard had managed to return and build a 14-second gap over runner-up Olivier Pain, and 19-seconds on third-position KTM pilot Pal Anders Ullevalseter.
Current overall leader Cyril Despres was first through Check Point 1 at 72 miles into the special. The Frenchman had amassed a small four-second lead over Coma and 20-seconds over Ullevalseter. After CP1, Coma began his hunt for Despres and moved to within one second of the leader’s time. The Spaniard eventually surpassed Despres’ pace and took the win, posting the best time of 02:12:30. Coma’s time was four-seconds faster than the ’07 champion and 1:14 quicker than yesterday’s stage winner, Francisco Lopez Contardo.
Current overall leader, Cyril Despres, narrowly missed taking the win. The Frenchman posted a time only four seconds slower than Coma.
Navigation may have also caused American Jonah Street to lose valuable time. The KTM rider finished in 13th but retains his seventh-place position in the overall standings.
Five stages remain before the end of the rally with two of the longest yet to come. Stage 10 is short but no less challenging as the competitors make their way into the Chilean hills. Riders must be mentally sharp as they wind along the Pacific Coast through dense vegetation that can often mask hazards.
Rider Quotes:
Marc Coma (ESP - KTM) 1st, 18th OA
“It was an unusual day with the side-by-side start, but it was a super start. Everyone was in front. We rode together with Ullevalseter at a good pace with two other bikers. The special was interesting at the start, with dunes and navigation. In the end, it was a good result for me. That’s one more day of the rally gone and one day nearer to the finish. I’m happy. And the tires are as good as new.”
Cyril Despres (FRA - KTM) 2nd, 1st OA
“It was a nice stage. It’s not often that you get to start off side-by-side like this morning. Even if it was a short special, it was intense. Everyone played their part, but I hung back a bit right at the start. Over the first 70 kilometers, we kept swapping the lead. First it was Marc Coma, then it was me. We must have overtaken each other around fifteen times. At the finishing line, there were two possible routes. We each took a different one and finished at almost the same time. Neither of us wanted to give anything away and it’s proof that as riders we are very closely matched. In rally-raids, there are very few final sprints, but today, it was a matter of honor…”
Francisco Lopez (CHL - Apr) 3rd, 3rd OA
“Today was a case of taking and getting through the stages as they come day after day, rather than fighting for second place. I’m in the top three. You can start to make predictions, but anything can still happen. Sometimes I have good days, sometimes others are less good. I’m third and for the moment I’m happy. But I’m not racing against anyone. It’s just about me and how I set out my strategy. I make sure I navigate well and that the bike reaches the finishing line. And whatever position I finish in at the end will be more than welcome”.
Stage 9 was delayed and shortened due to foggy conditions, but it still put riders to the test.
1. COMA (ESP) KTM 02:12:30 00:00:00
2. DESPRES (FRA) KTM 02:12:34 00:00:04
3. LOPEZ CONTARDO (CHL) APRILIA 02:13:44 00:01:14
4. ULLEVALSETER (NOR) KTM 02:13:44 00:01:14
5. FRETIGNE (FRA) YAMAHA 02:15:45 00:03:15
6. DUCLOS (FRA) KTM 02:15:45 00:03:15
7. RODRIGUES (PRT) YAMAHA 02:16:03 00:03:33
8. PAIN (FRA) YAMAHA 02:16:39 00:04:09
9. PRZYGONSKI (POL) KTM 02:16:55 00:04:25
10. FARIA (PRT) KTM 02:22:18 00:09:48
2010 Dakar Rally Overall Standings:
1. DESPRES (FRA) KTM 35:58:55 00:00:00
2. ULLEVALSETER (NOR) KTM 37:20:45 01:21:50
3. LOPEZ CONTARDO (CHL) APRILIA 37:24:26 01:25:31
4. RODRIGUES (PRT) YAMAHA 37:27:39 01:28:44
5. DUCLOS (FRA) KTM 37:54:35 01:55:40
6. FRETIGNE (FRA) YAMAHA 38:04:39 02:05:44
7. STREET (USA) KTM 38:38:08 02:39:13
8. PAIN (FRA) YAMAHA 38:44:59 02:46:04
9. BERGLUND (SWE) KTM 38:58:01 02:59:06
10. PEDRERO GARCIA (ESP) KTM 39:05:07 03:06:12
Stage 10 highlight video is courtesy of
Dakar.com.
