Marc Coma Leads Morocco Rally
Cycle News Staff | October 7, 2014
Red Bull KTM’s Marc Coma won stage four of the Morocco Rally today, the Spaniard moving into the overall lead of the rally with today’s effort.
Today’s stage went from Zagora to Cheggaga, which included a timed special of 140 miles. Coma topped his KTM factory teammates Sam Sunderland and Toby Price, the Australian competing in his first international rally.
Coma leads Honda’s Paolo Goncalves by just one minute and 35 seconds in the overall standings with two stages left in the race that will decide the 2014 World Championship.
Coma, who is celebrating his birthday today, said he felt increasingly comfortable in the desert conditions and on the KTM 450 Rally bike.
“This was a short stage that was not exactly difficult or dangerous, but definitely tricky,” Coma said. “For this you need a certain feeling and at the end of the day I felt I could start to think a bit about the title fight and to push a little.”
The day’s special also included the battle with the dunes of Erg Cheggaga, always a challenge for the riders of this rally.
Coma had already also overcome the psychological step on Monday of having passed through a similar area where he had crashed and was injured two years ago – a crash that forced him to miss the 2013 Dakar Rally.
With his secon place today, Sunderland moves to third overall behind Coma and Goncalves. He trails Coma’s by just under 12 minutes.
