Reigning champion Marc Coma produced a superb display to clinch the fifth stage of the Dakar Rally on Thursday. After two consecutive second-place
ADVERTISEMENTReigning champion Marc Coma produced a superb display to clinch the fifth stage of the Dakar Rally on Thursday.
After two consecutive second-place finishes in this year’s event, the Spaniard dominated his opponents from the outset and completed the 458km special from Copiapo to Antofagasta in an impressive time of 4 hours 38 minutes and 16 seconds to secure the win.
Coma clawed back a two-minute starting deficit before taking control in the second half of the race, with overall leader Joan Barreda crossing the finish line 2 minutes and 16 seconds behind.
Chile’s Pablo Quintanilla produced a solid run but it wasn’t to be for the KTM rider as he eventually had to settle for third place ahead of team-mate Stefan Svitko. This result sees him leapfrog Jordi Viladoms into fourth place going into day 6.
In the car category, former champion Carlos Sainz suffered a series of technical setbacks and is now sitting 55th, 12 hours and 27 minutes behind current leader Nasser Al-Attiyah.