Marc Coma wins while Paulo Goncalves falters in Morocco.
Red Bull KTM’s Marc Coma may just be the most brilliant rally raid motorcyclist ever.
Like a cobra in a defensive posture, the Spaniard has hovered around the overall lead of the 2014 OiLibya Rally of Morocco, finishing no worse than fifth but no better than third and remaining just 41 seconds out of the lead.
During today’s round four from Zagora to Cheggaga, the Spaniard struck.
As if he was picking the right time to do so, Coma executed a brilliant win in the tricky Stage Four, finishing the 226-kilometer special stage with a time of 2 hours, 46 minutes and 32 seconds on a day that saw KTM take the top three positions in the stage. With overall rally leader and Team HRC Honda rider Paulo Goncalves finishing fourth, the net result is that Coma has erased his 41-second deficit and now enjoys a 1 minute, 35-second lead in the overall standings with two stages remaining.
And you never, ever want to give Marc Coma, the overall lead in a rally. Nobody is better at managing one. Coma, who celebrated his birthday on Tuesday, said he felt increasingly comfortable in the desert conditions.
“This was a short stage that was not exactly difficult or dangerous, but definitely tricky,” Coma said. “For this you need a certain feeling and at the end of the day I felt I could start to think a bit about the title fight and to push a little.”
Stage Four was also the best yet for Coma’s factory teammate, Sam Sunderland of Great Britain, who finished second and moved up to third overall, behind Goncalves. Sunderland is still just under 12 minutes behind Coma, but progress is progress. Australia’s Toby Price also enjoyed his best finish of the rally so far, finishing third, although he is out of the hunt after having incurred a 20-minute time penalty during Stage One after his rear tail-light snapped off and shorted out his map-reader.
Today’s stage demanded excellent navigation, and Team HRC’s Joan Barreda was flawless as he started at the front of the pack and finished there. However, his navigation only served to help guide his competitors, who followed his tracks through the Moroccan sand. It helped his teammate, Goncalves, finish fourth, although Goncalves lost the overall lead.
“It was the hardest day so far,” Goncalves said. “I was lucky that Barreda opened the way and at a cracking pace. I managed to finish without losing too much time – my main aim. I’m pleased because team Team HRC is doing a great job. Tomorrow will be difficult – very different with a mountainous track of over 300 kilometers and we will have to be focused to keep our chances open.”
The field faces another long day in the saddle during tomorrow’s Stage Five, which stretches from Zagora to Marrakesh and includes 302 kilometers of timed special stage. The rally concludes on Thursday.
FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship
OiLibya Rally of Morocco (Round 6 of 6)
Morocco
Results: October 7, 2014 (Stage 4 of 6)
Stage 4
1. Marc Coma-KTM/02:46:32
2. Sam Sunderland-KTM/+00:00:05
3. Toby Price-KTM/+00:01:10
4. Paulo Goncalves-Hon/+00:02:16
5. Joan Barreda-Hon/+00:03:47
6. Chaleco López-KTM/+00:03:52
7. Helder Rodrigues-Hon/+00:04:54
8. Jeremias Israel-Hon/+00:05:29
9. Ruben Faria-KTM/+00:07:23
10. Jordi Viladoms-KTM/+00:08:18
OiLibya Rally of Morocco Overall Standings (After 4 of 6 stages)
1. Marc Coma-KTM/11:41:52
2. Paulo Goncalves-Hon/+00:01:35
3. Sam Sunderland-KTM/+00:11:53
4. Helder Rodrigues-Hon/+00:16:34
5. Chaleco López-KTM/+00:16:46
6. Ruben Faria-KTM/+00:20:15
7. Jordi Viladoms-KTM/+00:21:45
8. Joan Barreda-KTM/+00:23:07
9. Kuba Przygonski-KTM/+00:52:35
10. Joan Pedrero-She/+00:54:54
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