2015 Dakar Rally – Stage 13: Coma Triumphs

With only 174 km planned for today’s special, Stage 13 was always known to be a short affair. However, with heavy rain hitting the course, the timed section was cut short, stopping at the second checkpoint (roughly 100km in), making today’s timed ride less than an hour long.

Team Orange came out in force for the last stage, with Jakes, Svitko, and Price taking the top three slots away from the Honda riders.

Paulo Goncalves tried his best to shorten the distance, and was the first HRC rider across the line, only a minute behind the leaders, but Coma’s lead was too much to overcome.

However, it is worth noting that the 2015 Dakar Rally would have been much closer had the Portuguese rider not encountered 17 minutes of penalties the past two weeks. He finished second overall.

“I think the whole team deserves this result, especially after all the hard work that they have done. All that’s needed now is to go one small step further and win the rally,” said Goncalves.

“We are well-prepared and on the right track. I’m pleased with the result, and I want to thank the whole team, but most especially my team-mates Joan, Hélder and Jere, who were there to help me out in the most delicate moments. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be on the podium here in Dakar.”

For Marc Coma, today marks his fifth Dakar Rally win, which makes him one of the winningest motorcycle racers in this iconic race. For KTM, it’s the company’s 14th straight victory, though the competition is certainly heating up with HRC and Yamaha Racing.

“I’m happy and proud. As usual it was a grueling rally. We had to overcome a problem on the second day that slowed us down a bit in the rankings. So from then on we had to change the strategy a little and push to recover that time. We knew that the marathons would be key stages and they were,” said Coma.

“I am happy with the team and the people we have around us. This fifth win says a lot about all of us.” Taking about his competitors Joan Barreda and Paolo Goncalves, Coma said “the level was very high and this also makes the win very valuable.”

Finishing in the Top 10, Olivier Pain salvaged a lackluster Dakar rally for Yamaha Racing. All of the team’s riders struggled to set up the YZF450 Rally, showing the growing pains that Yamaha is having as a factory effort. Yamaha comes away from the 2015 Dakar Rally with valuable data though, and can’t be counted out of contention for next year.

“To finish a Dakar is always an achievement and to finish in the top 10 is something to be proud of and I am happy to have got the bike home for the team who worked so hard, both prior to and during the rally. Of course we came here with the intention of challenging for the victory and so from that point of view my result is a disappointment,” said Yamaha Racing rider Olivier Pain.

“Although we did a lot of testing before the Dakar we lacked race kilometres. The base of the WR450F Rally is clearly good and the engine is strong and reliable, but the bike is effectively brand new and we need to develop it further if we are to realise its full potential,” added Pain.

It’s worth mentioning the efforts of Laia Sanz, the top female competitor in the 2015 Dakar Rally, as the HRC factory rider finished 9th overall, dropping one position on Stage 13. Competing in what is often called “the toughest motorcycle race in the world,” Sanz showed that it’s not a realm exclusive to the boys. With a Top 3 stage finish under her belt, she is the highest-placing female competitor in The Dakar rally.

“I’m very happy. Really! If they had offered me a top-ten finish before the race, I would have signed. Many said that it was plausible, but the Dakar is a highly-unpredictable, difficult and risky race. You’ve got to have your wits about you all the time,” said Sanz.

“It’s a great result that I want to share it with the whole team, who have put their trust in me from the first moment, giving me this great chance, and also with the fans and followers who been with me all the way through. ¡Muchas gracias!”

Top 10 from Stage 13 – Rosario to Buenos Aires- of the 2015 Dakar Rally:

Overall Top 10 of the 2015 Dakar Rally:

Source: Dakar; Photo: Red Bull Content Pool