Dakar 2003. 17th stage

Marc Coma leaves Dakar Rally 2003 as the great revelation
The rider of Repsol finishes eleventh and first Spanish classified
 Marc Coma celebrated today at the arrival podium of Dakar Rally the fulfillment of his main goal – to finish the race in order to gain experience- and, in addition, to do it with a high mark: four third classifications in three stages and an eleventh position in the overall classification, remarkable for a rider that just arrived. Coma, in his second participation – last year he couldn´t even arrive at the halt´s day due to a mechanical failure -, has sometimes traveled with the best ones and, mainly, it has done many kilometers of navigation and road book that will allow him to confront this race with greater guarantees in the future. In the short special today, that he has disputed with the right wrist bandaged due to the fall in the stage of yesterday, he has been classified thirteenth. How you feel like after finishing the Dakar Rally?’Happy, happy because you don´t finish a rally like this every day. It is a race in which many things can happen. I am here, that is the important thing and we have obtained good results, although that was not our goal. Our objective was to learn and we have learned much, although there is still a lot to do.’ Which has been the worse moment of the race?’To be sincere, when I fell yesterday. It was an idiot fall because it did not go fast, a stupidity, but I got hurt. It was not a very serious error, but I went through a bad moment and I made the team go through that too, but it was just a scare.’ And the best one?’When I was ahead in the race, specially the day I arrived with Fabrizio (Meoni), Richard (Sainct) and Cyril (Despres) opening track. I choose that day, although I was tenth in the stage, but to open the passage by dunes and to be there ahead is just beautiful.’ Now people will demand to you much more, but this race can not be learned in a year…’It would be an error if we would say that everything is already done, that we are there and that next year we leave to win. We must be conscious that it is a very complicated race, that you have to understand it much, that you must think much while riding the motorbike. This is hard, is necessary to be patient. For that reason, I believe that next year the learning must continue. We will try to obtain a good result, but without forgetting that we are still learning.’ Do you dedicate this success to someone?’I should dedicate it to so many people… To mechanics Manel and David, who have remained with me when their pilots had already left. To my girlfriend, who lived all the preparation, the nerves and a whole period that was very difficult. And to my grandmother, who´s health is not good, but this also goes for her.’  Which are your projects for this year?’The Spanish Enduro Championship. We will also try to take part in some raids to learn navigation and to arrive more prepared for next year´s Dakar. And the Baja Aragón. The most important thing it is to gain experience in some raid, to arrive in better conditions next year and to try to be ahead in enduro.’ Stage classificatión 1º LUNDMARK 2º ULLEVALSETER + 8′ 3º MEONI + 57′ 4º DESPRES + 1′ 05′ 13º COMA + 3′ 19’Overall final classification1º SAINCT 2º DESPRES + 7′ 18′ 3º MEONI + 37′ 30′ 4º BRUCY + 1h 36′ 29′ 11º COMA + 4h 47′ 35′