DAKAR 2009
Coma: 'Now it’s a different race'
Halfway through the Dakar Rally, Spaniard Marc Coma (KTM) has won three stages, leading the motorbike race ahead of American Jonah Street (KTM) by over 51 minutes. Yet the 2006 winner says there’s no reason to slow down.
Issued on: Modified:
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FRANCE 24 - How do you explain your success so far?
Marc Coma - I have a big team behind me and it gives me confidence, but it’s a difficult race. The most difficult is to choose the right material. The other teams also have lots of experience. I’m very happy because I’m first even though I had a flat tire.
(Coma lost 15 minutes during the fifth stage because of the puncture.)
Marc Coma - I have a big team behind me and it gives me confidence, but it’s a difficult race. The most difficult is to choose the right material. The other teams also have lots of experience. I’m very happy because I’m first even though I had a flat tire.
(Coma lost 15 minutes during the fifth stage because of the puncture.)
FRANCE 24 - Will you slow down in the next stages to spare your engine?
Marc Coma - Our plan is to continue like this. I will be attacking, of course. We have only raced half of the Dakar. Now it’s a different race. We've changed countries, we're arriving in the Atacama region. That’s real desert.
Marc Coma - Our plan is to continue like this. I will be attacking, of course. We have only raced half of the Dakar. Now it’s a different race. We've changed countries, we're arriving in the Atacama region. That’s real desert.
FRANCE 24 - How did you prepare for this Dakar?
Marc Coma - There were no major differences in my preparation, except that we worked at the summit of Spain's highest mountains for acclimatation.
Marc Coma - There were no major differences in my preparation, except that we worked at the summit of Spain's highest mountains for acclimatation.
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