2012 FIM Cross Country Rally World Championship
With only two weeks of rest following his Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge victory at the opening round of the 2012 FIM Cross Country Rally World Championship, MRW Repsol KTM’s Marc Coma headed to Qatar, ready to take another win.
And in typical Coma style, the three-time Dakar champion added another victory to his record following a win Saturday at the Sealine Cross Country Rally Saturday, the second of four rounds in the 2012 Cross Country Rally World Championship.
The fourth and final stage wrapped up Saturday in the Qatar desert area near the Losail International Circuit that hosted the opening round of MotoGP. During the quick stage, the KTM 450 Rally rider finished 2:06 minutes behind his rival, the Speedbrain Husqvarna TE 450 rider Joan Barreda.
Coma’s Spanish compatriot was close to winning the overall rally, but incurred a two-hour penalty for missing a control point. When the Sealine Cross Country Rally finished, Coma would finish overall six minutes ahead of another Speedbrain Husqvarna rider, Helder Rodrigues.
Marc Coma (MRW Repsol KTM 450 Rally) says: "Today was very fast and it was 208 km but there was nothing very difficult for me. I tried to have fun and stay focused and to control the race.
"The bike worked perfectly and the tam prepared everything very well. It was our first time here so its nice to have the victory and it is a good start to the World Championship."
With this latest win the MRW rider increases his advantage in the overall standings to 14 points over Jordi Viladoms, with the competition reaching its midway point. Next up is Sardegna Rally Race in Italy June 23-28, the season finale, the Pharaoh’s Rally in Egypt Sept. 30 – Oct. 6.
2012 Sealine Cross Country Rally Final Stage Results:
1. Joan Barreda, Spain, Husqvarna 1:54.24
2. Marc Coma, Spain, KTM at 2.06
3. Helder Rodrigues, Portugal, Yamaha at 2.12
4. Jordi Villadoms, Spain, KTM at 3.30
5. Ruben Faria, Portugal, KTM at 4.27
2012 Sealine Cross Country Rally Final Overall Results:
1. Coma, 13 hours 54.43 (Coma wins second rally of the two so far in the four-rally championship)
2. Helder Rodrigues at 6.05 minutes
3. Villadoms, KTM at 14.11
4. Przgonski, KTM at 19.23
5. Faria, KTM at 22.06
