This afternoon the second round of the World Cross Country Championship began in Tunisia, today saw a short super special on the beaches in the capital Tunis. The Repsol riders Marc Coma & Jordi Viladoms have gone to the rally with the more than feasible objective of fighting to win. This is one of the dates in the World Championship that is most similar to the terrain covered in the traditional African Dakar; the first few stages are on mountain tracks before the riders enter the immense deserts of Libya. They have eleven days of competition ahead of them and the riders will have to cover a route of 4 300km, the participation includes the main rivals in this speciality such as Despres, Casteau and “Chaleco” López.
The beaches in the city of Tunis were the venue for a super special of just 5km, the winner was Cyril Despres, second was Jordi Viladoms, Marc Coma finished in fifth position. The rain that has fallen in the north of the country, quite heavy over the last few days, forced a change in the first leg as well as in tomorrow`s special. The participants start in a south-bound direction and after a liaison of 391km they have to tackle a 60km special and then another liaison of 95km.
Marc Coma
“Today`s leg was not particularly difficult, just five kilometres along the beaches in Tunis so that we could decide on tomorrow`s starting order, which is when things really begin. It was a very pretty special, even though it has been raining and the route was modified a little. Tomorrow`s special has also been shortened because of the rain, and there will only be 70km against the clock, instead of 250km. This is perhaps the rally that is most similar to the Dakar because it is eleven days long, unlike in Dubai, and the tactics will not be so important. It is a race that lets you correct any small mistakes you might make and the key is to be consistent. Here I have the support of Jordi Viladoms again and that is very important for me, because it gives you a little bit more confidence.”
Jordi Viladoms
“Everything went well, this is the first race that I have ridden in with the big motorbike after the Dakar and we have started along the right lines, something that is always important. I have been training for some time in enduro races and fast specials, so that preparation was very handy for a stage as short as today`s. Whatever, we have to wait for a few days to see how how the races is really going and to see how things pan out on the leaderboard. I am pleased because I tried to go fast and I was able to do so, without any problems or mistakes. Starting the race well does not mean anything, but it helps with morale, because it lets you start with positive sensations and an extra injection of morale.”
