Dakar 2003. 13th stage: Siwa-Dakhla

A badly mounted tyre holds up Marc Coma
The problem made him loose almost three hours in the overall standing
  A tyre that had been badly mounted by the official tyre service of the race made Marc Coma loose almost three hours and 6 positions in the overall classification of the Dakar. At km 60 of the stage, the left side rim of the tyre broke and let the mousse out, forcing the rider to stop.   Coma tried to get help from other riders until the arrival of Josep María Linares who lent him a tyre lever and the French Luc Pagnon who gave him an inner tube. Once he had mounted it, with the tyre still in bad conditions, Coma continued until the finish. He arrived in last position at the first checkpoint (106th) and managed to finish 73th, despite having to ride slowly to avoid further problems.  Marc Coma:I didnt drive faster than 100 km/h because I was scared that it would break down completely letting the inner tube out. Today I have been through the situation you hope nobody has to experience, the hard side of the race. But races without these kind of things wouldnt be races.   When something like this happens to you, you have to draw positive conclusions. Today I have experienced the bad side of the Dakar, but Ive also seen the atmosphere at the back and the comradeship of those who let me the tools and the inner tube. My goal is still to finish the race, thats what Im here for. Of course, what happened is a bit upsetting.  If I would have crashed, it would have been my mistake. If the engine would have broken, well, it can happen. But this isnt fair. The guy who mounted the tyre from the official tyre service of the race must have noticed that he had broken the side while mounting the tyre and he didnt say a word. He has spoiled my whole rally.  Stage classification:1º MEONI2º SAINCT + 13′ 16’3º DESPRES  13′ 30′ 4º BRUCY  15′ 59’73º COMA ´+ 2h 53′ 58′  Overall classification:1º SAINCT2º DESPRES + 11′ 02’3º MEONI + 16′ 44’4º BRUCY + 59′ 57’15º COMA + 4h 40′ 31′