Marc Coma has found a good pace for this Dakar 2009 and is taking each day as it comes. Today the race was in Argentina but bit by bit the Andes are getting closer and so is the frontier with Chile. Today the Team Repsol KTM rider, who opened the tracks after his second victory yesterday, rode alone along the 459 kilometres of the special. Before that there was a short liaison of 4km when the race started at 6:20am this morning. Coma had the knowledge when he was riding today that his back was covered as the other two members of the Team Repsol KTM, Jordi Viladoms and Gerard Farrés, started second and fifth today after yesterday`s results.
The stage was totally normal for Marc Coma, who when he arrived at the bivouac emphasised the importance of the change in pace on this stage. The fast legs on the first few days were left behind and today the route was much more technical, with several wadis (dry river beds) full of sand – very complicated according to Marc himself – with stony cross-country sections and all types of terrain except dunes, but even these may appear tomorrow. It was also a very physically demanding leg.
Jordi Viladoms, who started just a couple of minutes behind Marc, did not make contact at all with his teammate today, although he was always on hand if the leader of the general had needed his help. If today was the first time that Coma dared to use a run-flat tyre on the rear wheel, Viladoms stuck to the tyres he had used on the previous days with an inner-tube, and he was always on the lookout to see whether he would have to attend the needs of Coma if his rear tyre had been punctured or destroyed. In the end there were absolutely no problems and both Coma as well as Viladoms did their own race. Viladoms set the sixth fastest time today, 8 minutes 40 seconds behind his teammate, and at the same time he climbed to fourth in the overall.
Gerard Farrés, on a steep learning curve in this Dakar, is improving as the race progresses, his tactics are based on a strategy of not making any mistakes after a disastrous first day. Today Farrés, who was fifth yesterday, set the tenth best time, 15 minutes 42 seconds behind Coma, and is now thirty-second in the overall.
Tomorrow, Wednesday sees the fifth leg, this joins Neuquén and San Rafael. There is a liaison of 173km at the start and then a special of 506km and afterwards the final liaison of 84km. Marc Coma, the first to leave the bivouac tomorrow, will do so at 5am, and the special gets underway at 7:35am.
The average speed expected on this special is down to 80km/h, a sign that the legs are getting more difficult. With the Andes just around the corner a very tough special is on the cards, on a very varied terrain that includes the first zones with sand dunes – around 20km. The riders will have a truly tough cross-country navigation section that alternates with technical zones full of wadis.
Marc Coma >> Audio
“Today`s leg was very complete, I would say that it was the first real stage of the Dakar, and just as we expected. There was a complete change in the characteristics compared to the previous days, we entered a zone that demanded some very technical riding. We had a special that changed its terrain a lot, across zones with sand, rocks, wadis… even the navigation was important. But everything went well. We started at the front, opening up the tracks at a fast pace but without taking risks. I rode alone, and calmly, all the time because both Jordi [Viladoms] and Gerard [Farrés], started close behind me, and if I had had any problems I knew they were there and that reassures you a lot. I am pleased.”
Jordi Viladoms >> Audio
“We knew we were going to have a much more technical special today, and that there would be quite a lot of stones on the tracks. We continued with the inner-tubes on the wheels, but with a bit more pressure because Marc [Coma] was using a run-flat tyre and there was always a chance of a puncture. In the places with a lot of stones I had to keep my eyes peeled, and on some sections I was not able to go very fast, but the important thing is that things went well. Things went as we planned and I think we got it right, because we did not have to go fast or attack, just be cautious.”
Gerard Farrés >> Audio
“I am pleased with how the leg went, it was a tougher one too. Luckily, as I started among the first ten I did not have much dust, that helped my ride a lot. Compared to the other days it was a slower stage, but you had to keep your eyes wide open because there were quite a few dangers in the roadbook. Towards the end we came across several with levels 2 & 3 which forced us to really have a good look at the directions so that we did not get into any problems. However in the end the navigation was straightforward; we arrived at the finish with the motorbike in perfect conditions, and me too, which is the important thing.”
