KTM Factory rider Marc Coma finished a close second to rival Cyril Despres in Sunday’s Stage Three of the Dos Sertoes Rally on Sunday by just one minute 40.6 but still retains overall lead by 2:38.14 minutes.
Coma finished the 233 km timed special as part of the journey from Pirenopolis to Uruacu in two hours 38.38, just a fraction behind Despres who will now have to open the track in Monday’s stage. He has now a total time of 7 hours 39.51 minutes in what is a long and arduous 10-stage event taking a large figure eight course through central Brazil.
KTM factory rider Ruben Faria was fourth in the stage and holds onto fourth overall while Kuba Przygonski finished the stage in seventh but also holds onto fifth place in the overall standings.
Coma said he was happy to have sacrificed a very small margin to Despres in the stage and also that he continues to hold the overall lead. “Today was a much faster stage than the previous days, but again it was very dusty, there was very little grip and very low visibility. We must be very focused at all times because on this kind of terrain you cannot make any mistakes. The ground is also very hard on tires and we all suffer a bit in the last kilometers. Tomorrow is the marathon stage and we have to take very good care of all the mechanical aspects."
On Monday riders tackle the first half of the marathon stage from Porangatu to Natividade with a total of 487 km and a 295 km timed special. Over these two stages riders may not have any outside mechanical assistance and if repairs are needed they must do them themselves. The total rally distance is over 4100 km taking in a massive loop and eight cities in the states of Goias and Tocantins.
Rally Dos Sertoes
Stage Three Results (unofficial)
(From Uruaçu to Porangatu total 289 km, timed special 233 km)
1, Cyril Despres, France, Yamaha 2 hours 38.14
2, Marc Coma, Spain, KTM 2:38.38
3, Paolo Goncalves, Portugal, Speed Brain 2:40.08
4, Ruben Faria, Portugal, KTM, 2.41.08
5, Deni Nascimento, Brazil, KTM, 2:44.02
6, Michael Metge, France, Yamaha, 2:44.20
7, Kuba Przygonski, Poland, KTM, 2:45.02
8, Dario Julio, Brazil, Honda, 2:45.51
Overall Results after Stage 6 (unofficial)
1, Coma, 7 hours 39.51
2, Despres, at 1 minute 40.6
3, Goncalves, at 3:26.1
4, Faria at 3:13.1
5, Przygonski at 19.25.3
6, Metge at 19:55.3
7, Klaumann at 21.09.9
8, Dario at 25:09.9
9, Nascimento, 26:32.6
