Photo: dakar.com
KTM and Marc Coma are back to winning in the Dakar Rally, with the Spaniard claiming his first victory in the 2015 edition, in Stage 5 between Copiapo and Antofagasta. Coma’s rival Joan Barreda Bort was a road opener in this stage but dozens of miles after the start he preferred to wait for the KTM rider and let him lead the pack.
Barreda preferred to ride in the wake of Coma and not taking any unnecessary risks, however being careful not to let the KTM open up a large gap. Since Marc Coma’s navigation skills are almost proverbial, the KTM works rider made no mistakes and found the fastest track towards the finish line, leaving no open door for a possible attack form Barreda.
The two riders‘ positions remained unchanged across the finish line in Antofagasta, with Coma clawing back over two minutes from his Honda rival. However, Barreda’s 10’33” lead is not causing him lack of sleep, especially as stages which can make big differences in the time sheets are coming.
In the general ranking, Barreda Bort sits in the first position, with a somewhat comfortable 10-minute lead over Coma. Third comes Goncalves with a gap under 23 minutes, with Quintanilla, and Viladoms for top 5. Rookies Walkner and Price are 7th and 8th respectively, behind Ruben Faros, with Svitko climbing in the 9th position and Rodrigues 10th.
Stage 6 will have the riders traveling north from Antofagasta to Iquique, with a 318 km (197 miles) timed stage. Iquique also brings a well-deserved rest day for bikes and quads.
The two riders‘ positions remained unchanged across the finish line in Antofagasta, with Coma clawing back over two minutes from his Honda rival. However, Barreda’s 10’33” lead is not causing him lack of sleep, especially as stages which can make big differences in the time sheets are coming.
Quintanilla retains his strong pace
Another very good stage for Chilean rider Pablo Quintanilla, who finished third, only seconds behind Barreda Bort, and with around 1 minute in front of Slovakian Stefan Svitko, who was followed by Paulo Goncalves, Helder Rodrigues, Israel Esquerre, and rookie Walkner. Sherco TVS’ Alain Duclos was 9th, while another rookie, Toby Price rounded up the top 10. Laia Sanz was 19th in Stage 5.In the general ranking, Barreda Bort sits in the first position, with a somewhat comfortable 10-minute lead over Coma. Third comes Goncalves with a gap under 23 minutes, with Quintanilla, and Viladoms for top 5. Rookies Walkner and Price are 7th and 8th respectively, behind Ruben Faros, with Svitko climbing in the 9th position and Rodrigues 10th.
Stage 6 will have the riders traveling north from Antofagasta to Iquique, with a 318 km (197 miles) timed stage. Iquique also brings a well-deserved rest day for bikes and quads.
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