La primera cita del Campeonato del Mundo de Raids ya tienevencedor, y tras una carrera muy táctica, condicionada además por unatormenta de arena que ha ido de menos a más a medida que se sucedíanlas etapas, Marc Coma se ha subido al escalón más alto del podio de AbuDhabi. La última especial del rally, de 285 kilómetros contra el reloj,se presentaba como un difícil reto para el piloto Repsol, pero suestrategia ha resultado la más acertada y se ha coronado vencedor enlos Emiratos Árabes por tercera ocasión en su carrera deportiva.
Marc Coma “Estoy muy contento, porque sabíamos queen un rally tan corto como éste es muy importante no cometer errores, yeso es lo que hemos hecho, mantener la concentración y aprovechar losfallos de los demás. Hoy la tormenta de arena era impresionante, y enla primera parte, todavía en desierto abierto, era muy complicadocircular. Nos hemos juntado cinco o seis pilotos y hemos realizado laespecial en grupo hasta el final. En la segunda parte de la etapa hemosencontrado las pistas que llevan a Abu Dhabi, pero el fuerte viento ylas lenguas de arena han hecho que fuera igualmente incómodo.”
The third and final loop of this year`s Rally Abu Dhabi, with start and finish
in Moreeb, ended with Marc Coma at the top of the overall leaderboard again. The
Repsol rider did not force the pace today, but rode thinking about how to get a
good starting position for tomorrow`s decisive stage. This is why he finished
the fourth stage in eighth place, 6 minutes 14 seconds behind the stage winner;
but what is more relevant, 2 minutes 12 seconds ahead of Cyril Després, a result
that took him back to the top of the classification.
Marc Coma "The third and final loop of this year`s Rally Abu Dhabi, with start and finish
in Moreeb, ended with Marc Coma at the top of the overall leaderboard again. The
Repsol rider did not force the pace today, but rode thinking about how to get a
good starting position for tomorrow`s decisive stage. This is why he finished
the fourth stage in eighth place, 6 minutes 14 seconds behind the stage winner;
but what is more relevant, 2 minutes 12 seconds ahead of Cyril Després, a result
that took him back to the top of the classification. It reduced our visibility and it was like riding in fog, and it gets everywhere
- on your glasses, inside your jacket…- it makes things very uncomfortable. What
is more, it created new tongues of sand on the tracks, and the sand-dunes end up
with steep slopes. Tomorrow we have the final special section, and I start ahead
of Cyril. If he catches me he wins, if he doesn`t, I do. We will fight to make
sure that does not happen although starting behind me he has a little
advantage.”
The third and final loop of this year`s Rally Abu Dhabi, with start and finish
in Moreeb, ended with Marc Coma at the top of the overall leaderboard again. The
Repsol rider did not force the pace today, but rode thinking about how to get a
good starting position for tomorrow`s decisive stage. This is why he finished
the fourth stage in eighth place, 6 minutes 14 seconds behind the stage winner;
but what is more relevant, 2 minutes 12 seconds ahead of Cyril Després, a result
that took him back to the top of the classification.
