Today`s final stage of the UAE Desert Challenge 2008 has seen another exhibition from Marc Coma, in spite of starting with a penalty because he did not finish yesterday`s fourth stage – the gearbox on his KTM broke 5 kilometres from the end of yesterday`s special. But this morning he had extra motivation to do well. On the first special Coma started in position number 60, but due to his fast pace was able to overtake more than half of his rivals. Fortunately, in this race overtaking can be done without any danger, since the sandy tracks do not lift any dust up, something that does not let the rider in front be seen a lot of the time.
On the second special he was the fastest again and so was the overall winner of today`s stage. The Repsol rider got rid of some of the bad taste of yesterday`s result with a clear victory on the final stage of the rally, something that confirms his great form as he starts the final phase of his preparations for the Dakar 2009.
Jordi Viladoms also arrived in Dubai with a smile on his face today, because after missing the previous race because of an injury and not finishing the last edition of the UAE Desert Challenge because of a fall, he crossed the finishing line having recovered the good sensations he had had on his KTM 690 Rally which means he can tackle the next two months with a high level of motivation. The Repsol rider was very satisfied with not having made any mistakes in the whole race and no falls in the five stages either. He was always riding at a fast but very safe pace, Viladoms has not had any scares and he has recovered his confidence, something that lets him ride with assurance.
The first special today was on similar terrain to that of the previous days. Over sandy tracks that took the riders away from the desert across the final stretch of dunes. The second, nearer Dubai, was no longer in the open desert and required more navigation, something that the riders had not done on the previous days of the rally. The riders went through areas with farms along different sorts of tracks that required more attention to the roadbook.
Now, the Repsol KTM team has two months to make the final preparations for the next big date, none other than the Dakar 2009.
Marc Coma
“After yesterday’s problems, today’s stage was for pure enjoyment and to continue getting kilometres under the belt, since I had no chance of winning the overall classification, so what I wanted to do was to ride. On the one hand I am left with a bad taste in my mouth because we could have won this rally after all; but I am pleased because I have felt comfortable during the race, fast, and I believe that we are on the right lines. We are working well, and that is important. I am also happy because with the different problems that I had had I had not won a single stage, but winning is always positive and it is a good way to finish the rally.”
Jordi Viladoms
“I am very pleased since everything has finished as we planned it to. The objective was not to make any mistakes and not to fall, to finish the race with confidence, and this is what we have done. On this last stage we were not worried about the classification either and I finished fifth, but from the very first day our objective was not to follow the classification, but to get more confidence and to pick up a fast pace. What I wanted was not to have any falls and not to have any experiences like last year. This rally has been very positive for me, since I was able to finish the race, to find out what I have to work most on. Now we will be able to plan the two months that we have to prepare the Dakar better. I can´t wait to start because we now know that everything is working well.”
