Goncalves wins stage; Coma retains lead

From KTM Racing and BMW Motorrad

KTM factory riders Marc Coma and Cyril Despres continue to lead the overall standings in the 33rd edition of the Dakar Rally after an eventful day for both riders in Stage Five on Thursday that saw them up with the frontrunners, if not in the two top positions.  
       
Coma, however, has a 10:14 advantage of his arch rival after Despres incurred a 10-minute penalty at the start of the day that took them down to the coast of the Pacific at the conclusion of the day's ride.

Confusion reigned when the starting time was moved forward by 15 minutes however the information was not passed on at the team briefing. Despres did make it to the start in time but in the ensuing confusion he missed one of three flags that riders were obliged to pass as they commenced the day's ride. Coma and Despres are still out in front in the overall standings and continue to be the rally's dominant riders.

The fifth stage marked a milestone for the young Team BMW Motorrad by speedbrain as Paulo Goncalves won aboard the speedbrain-developed BMW G 450 RR in convincing fashion and landed the first Dakar stage victory for BMW in 10 years.

Goncalves entered Thursday´s stage in 11th spot overall following a navigation error on Wednesday. He rode a fine, controlled race and found himself right there when Frenchman Olivier Pain crashed and injured himself. Goncalves resumed his ride once the medical crew had arrived. Nevertheless he and teammate Frans Verhoeven headed the field for quite some time, finally arriving first and third at the finish in Iquique.

The route offered a lot of variations, from steep descents to stone-filled passages and giant dunes near the ocean. As he had Iquique in sight, Goncalves played it safe when the correct way was unclear to him in between the dunes. The extra miles cost him the lead and, when Verhoeven crashed over one of the last dunes, the win for the team almost disappeared in the very last moment.

Overall leader Coma said it had been a difficult and eventful day. He had one fall off the bike after which he had to make some repairs to the radiator.

"I managed to repair it and carry on more or less as normal. After the refueling, I stopped for Olivier Pain who had just had a fall. He was unconscious, so I activated the alarm and stayed with him until my water carrier Joan Pedrero arrived. It was a genuine Dakar stage where all sorts of things happen," he said.

Race officials took Coma's stop to help the injured Pain into consideration and after the results were announced he was re-classified third for the stage, 1:40 behind the day's winner and therefore 12 seconds in front of Despres.

Pain had a broken wrist and is out of the rally for this edition.

Despres was understandably disappointed at his penalty but dismissed it as a legitimate part of competing in rally raid.

"I was told at half past four in the morning that I'd been given a penalty. I just forgot my thermal gloves, so I went back to get them and I didn't see that there were signposts I had to follow at the exit. Unfortunately for me, that's the race rules, but I've already forgotten about it after what I experienced today," he said.

Riders tackled 423km that offered a rocky start and several off-track sections that required astute navigation in the salt flats before descending into the dunes of the Atacama. The day concluded with a heart stopping steep descent down to Iquique on the Pacific coast.

Stage Six on Friday takes competitors from Iquique to Arica, the most northern point in this year's edition right on the border of Chile and Peru. The liaison is 265km on the road then another 456km of special with plenty of dunes and the first encounter with the dreaded fesh-fesh (known in Chile as "Guadal"), the talc-like soft sand that can be so tricky.

Saturday is the one rest day in this marathon competition that sweeps through Argentina and Chile and takes riders over more than 9000km of remarkable, varied and always challenging South American landscape.

Stage 5 Results
1. Paolo Goncalves, Portugal, BMW, 5:12:23
2. Francisco (Chaleco) Lopez, Chile, Aprilia, at 2:18
3. Frans Verhoefen, Belgium, BMW, 2:19
4. Marc Coma, Spain, KTM, 3:58*
5. Cyril Despres, Andorra, 4:40
6. Helder Rodrigues (POR), Yamaha, 10:01
7. Ruben Faria (POR), KTM, 12:05
8. Jonah Street (USA), Yamaha, 15:15
9. Pal-Anders Ullevalseter (NOR), KTM, 17:01
10. Juan Pedrero Garcia (ESP), KTM, 17:36
* -- Coma re-classified third after officials evaluated the time he spent assisting the injured Olivier Pain

General Standings after Stage 5
1. Marc Coma, Spain, KTM 16:59:33
2. Cyril Despres, Andorra, KTM at 10:14
3. Francisco (Chaleco) Lopez, Chile, Aprilia, at 21:42
4. Paolo Goncalves, Portugal, BMW, 25:40
5. Helder Rodriguez, Portugal, Yamaha, at 32:05
6. Ruben Faria, Portugal, KTM at 35:14
7. Juan Pedrero, Spain, KTM at 40:01