DAKAR STAGE FIVE

 

Red Bull KTM factory rider and three-times Dakar winner Marc Coma claimed his first stage victory in the 2014 Dakar Rally. Coma led in teammate Jordi Viladoms and KTM supported rider Kuba Przygonski allowing KTM to scoop the top three places.

Coma said it had been another difficult day: “I opened ninety percent of the stage today. Everything was running well but it was soft sand and very technical and when you’re on the camel grass it is tough. At the end of the last part it was very difficult to find the finish line. I got to another river and had to cut back to find the correct one. But in the end it was good.” 

Coma, who moved into second behind the leader Barreda on Wednesday by just three minutes has now taken control of the overall lead after winning the stage more than 12 minutes in front of Viladoms. He leads the overall standings by 41 minutes 10 from  Joan Barreda, who got lost today.
 
Joan Barreda started in sixth place today. As he caught up with the riders ahead, the group took a path which turned out to be a mistaken one, and thus the rider concedes time to his closest rivals. Barreda finished in 17th place some 44 minutes off the winner of the special.

Security reasons have been cited for the cancelation of the second part of the special, which made up almost a third of the overall distance of today’s stage. The first part of the special was run at a cracking place, taking in some dunes and off-route navigation, before arriving at the neutralization zone. The riders had 111 un-timed kilometers to run prior to the start of the second part of the special, but the organization decided to call it off completely.

STAGE 5
1 Marc Coma KTM 3:02.08
2 Jordi Viladoms Gas Gas +12.54
3 Kuba Przygonski KTM +22.45
4 Helder Rodrigues Honda + +25.53
5 Riian Van Niekerk KTM +32.04

OVERALL
1 Marc Coma KTM 18:45’11
2 Joan Barreda Hon +41’10
3 Chaleco López KTM +53’41
4 Jordi Viladoms GasGas +58’58
5 Alain Duclos Sherco +01:02’13
6 Olivier Pain Yam +01:12’22