2012 FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship
For the fifth time in his career, MRW KTM’s Marc Coma is the FIM World Cross Country Rallies Champion.
This was after taking third overall in the Sardegna Rally Race, round three of four in the 2012 FIM World Cross Country Rallies Championship.
The third-place finish, combined with his overall wins in the Dubai Desert Challenge and the Sealine Rally in Qatar, allowed the Spaniard to secure the title ahead of the final round, which will be the Pharaohs Rally in Egypt this fall.
Coma has previously won the Cross Country titles in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2010.
During the final stage of the Sardinia Rally Thursday, which consisted of two, short 34- and 44-kilometer stages, Coma experienced a brake problem and a navigational error that compromised his race position.
But he rode cautiously, only needing a third-place finish to take his fifth title. Coma finished third, behind Italy’s Alessandro Botturi in second, and Spain’s Jordi Viladoms taking the win. Coma would cross the line 10:47.03 behind Viladoms.
Botturi and Viladoms were also on KTM 450 EXC-F motorcycles, making for a KTM sweep of the podium.
Marc Coma (MRW KTM 450 EXC-F) says: “The day didn’t have a great start. I had a problem on the ninth kilometer of the first special stage and the brake broke. From that moment on I opted to try and secure the position in the standings. In the end we lost out on second, but the important thing today was the title.
“You don’t win something like this every day and being World Champion means a lot to me. There are a lot of people behind this, and the end result is no coincidence. I want to thank everybody who works alongside me for this result, because it wouldn’t be possible without them.”
The fourth and final round of the 2012 FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship, the Pharaohs Rally in Egypt, is scheduled for Sept. 30 through Oct. 10.
Sardegna Rally Final Overall Results:
1. Jordi Villadoms, Spain, KTM, 11 hours 47 minutes 33.2
2. Alessandro Botturi, Italy, KTM at 9 minutes 38.69
3. Marc Coma, Spain, KTM at 10.47.03
4. Helder Rodrigues, Portugal, Yamaha at 12.12.21
5. Paolo Ceci, Italy, KTM at 14.36.22
6. Stephane Peterhansel, France, 20.53.55
7. Paulo Goncalves, Portugal, Husqvarna, 21.05.54
8. Gerard Farres, Spain, KTM, 24.8.92
9. Joan Pedrero, Spain, KTM, 24.58.92
10. M. Lucchese, Italy, Husaberg, 32.31.90
