Mixed fortunes for the Repsol KTM Team, Giovanni Sala withdraws

Marc Coma has an advantage of 54m 36s over Cyril Despres. © Repsol Media Service. The ninth special stage of the 29th Dakar Rally between Tichit and Néma in Mauritania has been a day of mixed fortunes for Repsol KTM Team riders. Marc Coma kept and strengthened his leadership in the overall standings –he has now an advantage of 54m 36s over the second classified, Frenchman Cyril Despres-, but also suffered a further setback with the withdrawal of Italian rider Giovanni Sala, who crashed at km 439 of the special and was forced to retire due to the several damages of his bike.

Coma had to face a special of more than 500 km but relatively calm, considering the venue. Sand, fast tracks, camel grass, dunes and navigation were some of the main obstacles Coma had to sort out to reach the finish of the special all alone, after having opened the track today due to yesterday’s stage victory. Although the stage victory went to Latvian rider Vinters, no other rider has been able to catch-up with the Repsol KTM rider despite his hard work opening the track.

Marc Coma: “Today’s stage has been very long again, with more than five hundred timed kilometres. The first part was very sandy, technically very difficult and physically very demanding. But we didn’t come across too many dunes, just at the beginning some camel grass, but always on the track. Bit by bit I was able to get a higher pace, despite one section being more complicated due to navigation, but I’ve always felt good. We had to be very careful because the sand storm of the previous days left sand tongues over the track, which are not really dangerous by demand high attention. Then we arrived at the “Elephant Path” with very fine sand, followed by a stone-filled track which also demanded navigation due to some small dunes were the track got lost. The last part to Nema was much faster. We also had a bit of wind, but not a storm like in the last few days. I had to open the track today again during the whole stage, keeping the distance to Cyril (Depres). The most important is that we’ve managed to overcome a further day without problems and after two of the hardest stages in Mauritania, being where I am makes me feel satisfied. But there’s still another day in Mauritania ahead and then many days of complicated navigation in black Africa, where any mistake can be very expensive. So we have to continue focussed.”

And while Coma was crossing the finish line some time after 01.00 p.m. his team mate Giovanni Sala crashed at km 439 dislocating his left shoulder and seriously damaging his bike. Assisted by the doctors of the organisation on site, the brave Italian rider tried to get back on his bike to finish the stage after having his shoulder back in place and bandaged, but the damages of the bike unfortunately took him to finally retire from the African race.

Giovanni Sala: “I haven’t felt comfortable with the wrist from early this morning and I didnt want to push too hard because I wasn't at a hundred per cent. I twisted my hand in a crash yesterday and therefore I wanted to take things easy today. The last hundred kilometres were a very fast track and fortunately I had no problems with my hand and was able to increase the pace. But then I went too fast over a stone after a bump and when I landed after the jump, I crashed. I hit against my shoulder and it dislocated. I tried to continue but the pain was so strong that I had to wait for the helicopter to come and have it bandaged. But the bike was too damaged to continue and there are more dunes in the following days so I won't be able to continue. I’m really sorry, especially for the Repsol KTM team and I want to thank them for the chance they have given me to be in this Dakar Rally. I haven’t been able to do as well as last year, so we’ll have to be patient and hope that everything works out fine in the end.”

Tomorrow, teams will follow an amended route after the ASO announced on December 23rd that the route of the 29th Dakar Rally would not head across Malian territory to the tourist outpost at Timbuktu. Instead of the tricky special to the remote outpost, teams will tackle a 366km loop section around Néma, starting 10km from the bivouac and finishing 24km away. Néma is surrounded by vast expanses of sandy wasteland and, according to the ASO, this stage is a worthy replacement for the Timbuktu special.
(Repsol Media Service)

---