Coma takes third stage win

From KTM Racing

KTM factory rider Marc Coma of Spain succeeded in taking his third stage victory in the 33rd edition of the Dakar Rally and the 14th of his career on Monday. The day's ride, a punishing 508km special was again a cat and mouse game between the Spanish rider and fellow KTM factory pilot Cyril Despres with the two arriving at the finish separated by just one minute, 55 seconds.      
       
Coma has now accrued a nine minute, 19 second advantage on Despres, the current title holder, as the two battle it out for personal glory and what will be - if either ride in Buenos Aires in triumph on Jan. 16 after more than 9000km of hard riding - the 10th consecutive Dakar title for KTM.

Coma and Despres have now won five of the eight stages between them and continue to be only minutes apart as the rally moves into its second half. The difference between them amounts to roughly the equivalent of the 10-minute penalty Despres incurred in the early stages for failing to pass a mandatory flag during one dawn start. All evidence points to a battle between these great riders right through to the finish.

Coma said it had been a hard stage on Monday that turned out fine at the end of the day. He rode together with Despres and "Chaleco" Lopez.

"We took turns to open the way and at a very fast pace," he explained. "It was a good stage after a complicated one yesterday. But in the end, everything turned out fine. I'm glad, because it was a 500-km special. That's a hell of a lot." 

Despres did manage to briefly break away after the first 40km on Monday but Coma quickly came back to hit the front and remained there for the rest of the day.

While Coma and Despres incrementally edge their way in front of the rest of the pack and are looking more likely to be the ones who will be in front in Buenos Aires, their biggest rival remains Francisco (Chaleco) Lopes, the Chilean rider who is very much at home in the Atacama Desert. He now trails Coma by 22.48 minutes overall, while fourth overall after Stage Eight is Portugal's Helder Rodrigues, who is now almost 42 minutes behind Coma.

KTM rider Pal Anders Ullevalseter of Norway, who was second behind Despres in the 2010 edition of the rally, had his best finish in this edition, finishing fifth in Stage Eight. He was followed home by Despres' team co-rider, Ruben Faria who finished sixth and is currently fifth overall.

Organizers presented the riders with another tough day in the sands of the Chilean coastal desert in what is the penultimate day in Chile before the bikes cross back across the Andes and head for the Argentinean capital. They had to tackle a complicated alternating mix of sand dunes, off-road, rios and even more dunes then finished with a challenging offroad section coming into Copiapo.

The stage also saw the exit of Paolo Goncalves of Portugal, who crashed and suffered a broken collarbone in the morning to take one of the top riders out of contention.

On Tuesday riders face a tricky loop through the desert from Copiapo to Copiapo with a 35km link and 235km of timed special that organizers promise can trick even the most experience of riders. There is also a group start with the front runners going off in rows of 10 riders and the later rows of 20 riders so there will be no traditional, dust free advantage for the front rider.

Stage Eight Results
1. Marc Coma, Spain, KTM 6:05:02
2. Cyril Despres, Andorra, KTM, at 1:55
3. Francisco (Chaleco) Lopez, Chile, Aprilia, 4:21
4. Helder Rodrigues, Portugal, Yamaha, at 8:38
5. Pal Anders Ullevalseter, Norway, KTM, 25:03
6. Ruben Faria, Portugal, KTM, 29:06

Standings after Stage Eight
1. Marc Coma, Spain, KTM
2. Cyril Despres, Andorra, KTM, at 9:19
3. Francisco (Chaleco) Lopez, Chile, Aprilia, 22:48
4. Helder Rodrigues, Portugal, Yamaha, at 41:42
5. Ruben Faria, Portugal, KTM at 1:09:59
6. Pal Anders Ullevalseter, Norway, KTM at 02:02:26
7. Juan Pedrero, Spain, KTM at 02:03:01