After the final stage was canceled due to a sever sandstorm, Red Bull KTM’s Marc Coma was declared the winner of the 2015 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge rally. Photography by RallyZone Bauer/Barni
Due to severe sandstorms currently wreaking havoc throughout the Middle East, the final stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, round one of the 2015 FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship, was canceled. With overall results reverting back to the fourth stage, Red Bull KTM’s Marc Coma was crowned the winner. American rider Ricky Brabec carded fifth overall, and was credited with the Junior division win.
At the close of the fourth stage, Coma led the field by nearly 12 minutes. He emerged victorious ahead of his Red Bull KTM Factory teammate Sam Sunderland and KTM Warsaw Rally Team’s Pablo Quintanilla who finished second and third, respectively. The win marked Coma’s eighth in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
“Today they had to suspend the stage because of the weather,” Coma explained. “This meant that we returned to Abu Dhabi on the road. The truth is that the conditions were bad. I am happy and proud to have achieved this eighth victory in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. It was very important to continue in this way, especially after the win in the Dakar. We have picked up a lot of points for the championship and now it’s time to rest and think about the next round in Qatar.”
Although the rally was shortened by one day, it was still a very tough race. Riders faced temperatures of up to 113° in the dunes, which offered very few navigational cues to racers. The sandstorm on Day 5 reduced visibility enough to where the support helicopters were grounded, thus causing the cancellation of the stage.
American National Champion Ricky Brabec finished fifth overall and took the Junior class win in his first-ever rally race. Photography by HRC
Despite the difficulty, AMA National Hare & Hound champion Ricky Brabec put in a solid performance as a guest rider with the Honda’s factory HRC team. Brabec finished fifth and also topped the junior category. Brabec was also the top finisher of the team, as his Factory HRC teammates Paulo Goncalves and Joan Barreda both struggled with electrical issues. Barreda and Goncalves each took stage wins (second and third, respectively), but suffered in the overall standings due to their time setbacks.
“Here we are at the last day of the rally,” Brabec said. “Unfortunately the storm was really crazy last night so we had to take the highway back. Overall the whole rally was a great experience and I learned a lot. I hope to come back and race a lot more and get better and better. I can’t thank the Team HRC guys enough for letting me come out and ride their Honda CRF450 RALLY.”
The Honda team, in return, was very pleased with the 23-year-old’s performance. “Ricky Brabec has shown here at the rally that he has a promising future,” said Team HRC General Manager Martino Bianchi. “We will try and test him again later this year and see how his preparation is going.”
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2015 Final Results:
1. Marc Coma (KTM) 14:49:05
2. Sam Sunderland (KTM) +11:55
3. Pablo Quintanilla (KTM) +20:16
4. Ruben Faria (KTM) +28.01
5. Ricky Brabec (Hon) +34:17
6. Mohammed Albalooshi (KTM) +44:48
7. Juan Carlos Salvatierra (KTM) +1:03:06
8. Matthew Hart (KTM) +1:13:15
9. José Cornejo (Suz) +1:13:31
10. David McBride (KTM) +1:17:35
