The three-time Dakar Rally winner took advantage of a strong ride, a shortened stage, the misfortune of his competition and a little luck to assume a commanding lead during the run from Chilecito to Tucuman in Argentina.
Red Bull factory KTM rider Marc Coma asserted himself in a big way during Stage 5 of the 2014 Dakar Rally, handily winning the stage from Chilecito to Tucuman, Argentina, today, and assuming a massive overall lead in the rally after many of the top contenders met with more difficulties.
Coma, a three-time Dakar winner rode fantastically to put distance between himself and his rivals in a stage that was shortened to 728 total kilometers with a 211-kilometer special test due to the extreme hot Argentinian weather that race organizers felt could pose a safety risk to the motorcyclists and quad riders. Subsequently, the second part of the special test was canceled and the rider’s time from the first part of the test was used to determine the day’s winners.
This was lucky for Coma, who covered the distance and finished with a time of 3 hours, 2 minutes and 8 seconds, as his KTM developed a fuel leak that could have spelled trouble during the second part of the test. The team was confident that repairs carried out by Coma’s support rider, Jordi Viladoms, would have held, but the cancellation of the second portion of the test meant that it didn’t matter.
“It was another tough day,” Coma said. “It was really hot out there. It’s also difficult in terms of navigation as well because of the rain last week which makes it difficult to see anything. To get to the end of the stage, I rode for 10 kilometers lost in a river bed. In general, it’s tough for everyone. For the race lead, you can lose lots of time at any moment. When you open the way, it’s a bit like playing Russian roulette.”
Coma’s assumption of the overall lead comes at a time when many of his chief competitors have already suffered crashes and mechanical woes that have put them far off the pace. Today was no different for some of them, especially overall leader Joan Barreda, who struggled with an ailing motorcycle today, finished 17th in the stage and surrendered the overall lead for the first time in the rally.
“It’s been a really hard day, one of the most difficult, with very high temperatures and soft sand,” Barreda said. “Every day it just gets tougher. I had an issue with the fuel at the start of the special, but after I was able to get back into it. I caught up with Marc Coma and the fuel problems came back when I was looking for a waypoint. I lost a lot of time trying to repair it. The most important thing is that we finished. We are still in the race. Let’s see how the next few days play out.”
Likewise, defending champion Cyril Despres all but doomed his own chances for a comeback from down in the order after incurring one hour’s worth of time penalties due to navigation errors. HRC Honda rider Paulo Goncalves exited the rally today after his motorcycle caught fire and was burned beyond repair.
The net result of the day is that Coma now enjoys a 41-minute, 10-second lead over Barreda. Francisco “Chaleco” Lopez is third overall after a disappointing 20th-place finish in today’s stage. The Chilean KTM rider is 53 minutes and 41 seconds off the lead.
2014 Dakar Rally
Stage 5
Chilecito-Tucuman, Argentina
Results: January 9, 2014
1. Marc Coma-KTM/03:02:08
2. Jordi Viladoms-KTM/+00:12:54
3. Helder Rodrigues-Hon/+00:25:53
4. Riaan Van Niekerk-KTM/+00:32:04
5. Juan Carlos Salvatierra-Spe/+00:33:12
6. Juan Pedrero-She/+00:34:03
7. Robert Van Pelt-Hon/+00:37:04
8. Daniel Gouet-Hon/+00:37:53
9. Alain Duclos-She/+00:39:28
10. Jeremias Israel-Spe/+00:40:07
Dakar Rally Standings (After Stage 5 of 13)
1. Marc Coma-KTM/18:45:11
2. Joan Barreda-KTM/+00/41:10
3. Francisco Lopez-KTM/+00:53:41
4. Jordi Viladoms-KTM/+00:58:58
5. Alain Duclos-She/+01:02:03
6. Jeremias Israel-Spe/+01:23:30
7. Olivier Pain-Yam/+01:27:22
8. Kuba Pryzgonski-KTM/+01:43:02
9. David Casteu-KTM/+01:52:41
10. Helder Rodrigues-KTM/+01:58:18
Your Privacy Choices