One day after the last Grand Prix of the 2006 season, the Repsol rider swaps his Dakar bike for the winning bike of the MotoGP World Championship
The test days organised by the Repsol Honda Team with journalists from every corner of the world to test Nicky Hayden’s world championship winning bike and that of his team mate Dani Pedrosa, had an exceptional guest. Winner of the 2006 Lisbon Dakar Rally, Repsol rider Marc Coma, got on Dani Pedrosa’s bike shortly after three o’clock on Monday afternoon. Only 24 hours before, the now completely empty venue had been a true pressure cooker in which more than 100,000 people were celebrating and cheering Nicky Hayden as the new MotoGP World Champion.
Before covering five laps on the Valencia track, the rally rider received some interesting instructions from Dani Pedrosa on how to ride the road racing bike, giving him especial advice on the carbon brakes, an element never tested by Coma before. Those five laps gave the Dakar rider the chance to get the feeling of a MotoGP rider. After getting off the bike, with a big smile on his face, Coma highlighted the acceleration of the RC211V, the power of the carbon brakes and the softness of the whole pack. It was an experience that Marc will never forget. Back in the garage of the Repsol Honda Team, Coma met Nicky Hayden and congratulated him for his recent world title.The Repsol KTM rider will be travelling to Dubai in a few days to take part in the last round of the Raid World Championship. After that, the countdown will start for the most important event of the season, the 2007 Lisbon Dakar Rally, on January 06.
Marc Coma:
‘It’s been impressive, especially considering that my experience on a road racing track was null. I had never made a lap on a road racing circuit with a motorbike before. I want to thank Dani for the advice he gave me, because all what he said helped me a lot. He explained the feeling of the carbon brakes, the acceleration and how the gear change worked; four or five details that were a big help. And above all, I want to thank the people from Repsol, Honda and KTM who allowed me to enjoy this experience. I was a bit scared because of the acceleration of the bike, because they had already warned me about its potential; and the truth is that it’s been incredible. But what impressed me most was the braking. The carbon discs give you a very soft touch of the brake and you get the feeling as if you would never stop, but then the bike does stop and there are still some hundred metres left to get to the corner. It’s been an unforgettable experience.’
