Red Bull KTM's Marc Coma, the 2014 FIM Cross Country Rally World Champion continues his preparation for the 2015 Dakar Rally by competing in the Atacama Rally in Chile. Coma, whose 2014 title was his sixth, finished fifth in the opening stage of the five-stage event that takes riders over familiar territory for the world’s toughest offroad event.
Fastest in the opening stage was Chilean KTM rider Claudio Rodriguez. Joan Barreda of Spain was second fastest and Pablo Quintanilla of Chile was third fastest, also riding a KTM.
Coma, a Red Bull athlete said after the stage that he had had trouble with his GPS and in difficult navigation conditions had to count only on his road book. “It was a very long day and my GPS broke at kilometer 40. This meant it wasn’t possible for me to push and my rhythm was slower. But in general was a good day and in very good conditions. It is also a different way of experiencing the Atacama Desert. We are here to put in some kilometers in these conditions ahead of the Dakar. Usually when we’re riding here it is in the Dakar and there’s a lot of pressure and we are very concentrated.”
The Spanish rider said prior to the rally that while everyone wants to win, the main objective this week was to put in some kilometers in the Atacama without taking any undue risks. Since the 2014 Dakar his only ride in South America this year was at the Rally dos Sertoes in Brazil in August.
Coma, who took his fourth Dakar crown in January, finished the opening stage with a deficit of 21 minutes 15 seconds. He will endeavor to make up time in what will be another long and tiring stage on Wednesday with around 340km of timed special. Stage three is a marathon stage. Coma is riding the KTM 450 Rally machine.
The Atacama Rally is in five stages and concludes on Friday.
Rally
Stage One Results:
1, Claudio Rodriguez, CHI, KTM
2, Joan Barreda, ESP, Honda at 5:59
3, Pablo Quintanilla CHI, KTM at 11.43
4, Jeremias Israel, CHI, Honda at 16.30
5, Marc Coma, ESP, KTM at 21.15
