The Repsol rider only needed his third position to secure the World Championship.
Marc Coma achieved the Cross-Country Rallies World Championship title for the fifth in his career after finishing in third position at the Sardinian Rally. The Repsol rider started with the aim to secure his lead in the World Championship after winning the two first rounds held in Qatar and the UAE.
The rider from Avià used a KTM 450 EXC-F, an Enduro bike with he already compete at the Baja 500 in the Mexican city of Ensenada. Marc Coma was able to adapt himself quickly to the new bike —lighter and more suitable to this round to run long distances— and also to the dry and rocky terrain of the isle’s routes. In the first day, Coma finished third around one minute and a half behind the provisional leader of the race, Italian Alessandro Botturi.
Over the round, the Repsol rider was able to climb to second position, achieving an important win in the fifth stage that finished at the Mediterranean harbour of Arbatax. The moderate riding and consistent results allowed Marc Coma to secure the third overall position in a race won by Jordi Viladoms.
This third position in the Italian island was enought for the Repsol rider to secure the World Championship title, before the fourth and last round in Egypt. The Pharaohs’ Rally will take place between next September 30th and October 6th.
Marc Coma
“The day didn’t start very well. I had a problem in kilometre 9 of the first stage and the brakes failed. From that moment on, I decided to secure our position in the overall standings. In the end we lost the second place, but today the important thing was to get the title. You don’t get to celebrate a thing like that every day and to be World Champion means a lot to me. The work of many people is involved in this final result, it is not a coincidence. I want to thank everyone who has worked with me to achieve this result, because without them this would not be possible”
