The Repsol KTM team is now in Dubai and ready for the last big international race before the Dakar 2009. The UAE Desert Challenge 2008 starts on Sunday 26th with the prologue stage, and there will be three riders from the team participating: Marc Coma, Jordi Viladoms and Gerard Farrés. The Repsol riders are taking this race as a full dress rehearsal for the legendary Dakar rally. The next edition will begin on 3rd January in Buenos Aires, but before that the three riders are ready to fight for another victory in the United Arab Emirates.
This year has been very atypical, marked by the suspension of the Dakar and the dangers of racing in Africa, and so the UAE Desert Challenge has become one of the few chances for the Repsol riders to ride on and to enjoy the sand and dunes. At the same time they will be preparingfor the most important date in the near future: the Dakar 2009. This is a race where Coma feels comfortable and one he knows very well, as can be seen from his victories in the last two editions. Together with him in the Repsol KTM line-up is Jordi Viladoms, who although he finished third two years ago, had to retire last year after a fall when he was also in third position. The other member of the team is Gerard Farrés, and this will be his first ever participation in this challenge and a great chance for him to gain more experience.
The race itself is on sandy desert tracks in the United Arab Emirates and starts officially with a prologue stage in Abu Dhabi on Sunday 26th October. The first stage takes the participants towards Moreeb, a town where the first three days of racing finishes. The riders will then head back towards the capital, Dubai, where the race ends next Friday.
The important aspects in the UAE Desert Challenge are the sand, sand-dunes and the navigation, but the overrriding factor above all others is the race strategy. From the very start, even in the prologue, it is important to control all rivals and know how to plan the stages that are left since the responsibility of opening the day`s racing on new tracks or starting further down the field can become factors that determine the outcome of this short race. The riders have five days of intense competition ahead of them and under a sun that takes no prisoners, where the smallest mistake can turn out to be very expensive. This is an ideal setting for the last serious test before the Dakar 2009.
Marc Coma
“The Rally in Dubai is always a very attractive race since it takes place in a very special country, a very rich one, and the race itself is always a good one in pretty areas. Basically, it is a race that takes place in the desert and among sand-dunes since Dubai and the United Arab Emirates are in a desert area with a lot of sand. This is a type of terrain that I like a lot, but on the other hand it is always humid and hot there. It is crucial for us that the stages are held in the open desert, this year we have done quite a few kilometres on this type of land and doing a lot of navigation. I think this is a race where we will come acrosss places we already know, and it is a good chance to prepare for the Dakar, because overall we have done very few kilometres this year. We will have to bear in mind the fact that the other riders, like ourselves have not done too many kilometres either, and will not have a fast pace, so they will want to take advantage of this race. As always I imagine that I will be fighting it out with Cyril Despres. The objective for me is more than clear, but winning in Dubai is very difficult, because there are only five days of racing and the strategy is very important.”
Jordi Viladoms
“Right now I feel fine. I was out injured for about a month and a half, my wrist stopped me from going to the PAX Rally, but now I have been training normally for six weeks. We have just done a physical strength test to find out exactly how I am and the truth is that it went very well. Perhaps what I need is to be on the bike for more time, since my last race was a long time ago, but I am pleased because I am back at work, and on a terrain I like a lot. It is the last race before we start to think seriously about the Dakar, and it will let us know where we are exactly with our preparation. We have missed a few races and our objective is to finish setting-up the bike and discover where my weak points are so that we can plan the work during the next two months. I will ask a lot of myself physically, setting out with the intention of having a good pace, although I will always be controlling and studying how I am going. I like this type of terrain a lot and I am good on it too, so this year we will try to be a little more careful. Sand is the terrain that I like the best, and with so much climbing and dunes it reminds me a bit of motocross, which is where I have the most fun. With everything that has happened this year it is really my first race in the desert and I am dying to get out there again.”
Gerard Farrés
“Since Portugal I have been able to train with the bike I rode there and it was like the one I will have in Dubai, and this has been very good for me because I was able to get into shape and at the same time get used to the bike. I have been training how to ride a lot, with the roadbook as well, which is what I have to improve the most. I am very pleased with all the work that has been done, and obviously with being able to participate in this race. I have never ridden there but I am dying to do so as it is all new and I am very motivated. I will try to help the team all I can. I want to make the most of this opportunity and we will see how I feel. I know that it is a race with a lot of dunes and with navigation. Perhaps the factor that will complicate things the most will be the heat, but physically I am at a good level, training hard in the last three months, and now what I want is to end with the prepations for the race, and so go to the Dakar in the best possible conditions.”
