2014 Dakar | KTM’s Marc Coma Wins Stage 9As he chases is fourth Dakar title, Red Bull KTM’s Marc Coma took his second stage victory Tuesday at Dakar 2014, which will take riders 5427 miles through Argentina, Bolivia and Chile.
Stage 9 was held mostly in the sand, and was considered a key stage in the Rally as riders had to navigate through soft sand for 280 miles from Calama and Iquique (18-mile liaison; 262-mile special).By stage end, Coma finished once again ahead over a minute ahead of his rival all Dakar, three-time stage winner Joan Barreda on the Team HRC Honda CRF 450 Rally. But Barreda was penalized 15 minutes, and slipped back to ninth in the stage, 16 minutes 58 seconds behind Coma.This gave Monday’s stage 8 winner Red Bull Yamaha’s Cyril Despres second in stage 9, 5 minutes 45 seconds back. Finishing third was Samsung Sherco’s Juan Pedero, 9 minutes behind Coma.Overall, Coma now has an over 55-minute lead ahead of Bort, and almost two hours on KTM’s Jordi Viladoms. As for five-time Dakar winner Despres, he is in eighth, 2 hours 30 minutes behind Coma with four stages remaining.Speaking of stage 9, the official Dakar report says:“Announced as one of the key stages on this 36th edition, the 422-km long 9th special stage between Calama and Iquique especially allowed Marc Coma to gain even more psychological superiority over the rest of the field. The third to start this morning, behind Barreda and Despres, the Catalan three times winner soon caught up with his adversaries to ride the stage in their company, demonstrating his control of the race.“In the end, Coma won his second stage in 2014 and his 23rd on the Dakar, 1’21” ahead of his countryman and second placed rider in the general standings, Joan Barreda, and 5’28” in front of Cyril Despres, the title holder, who was slowed at the end of the special stage by the fear of running out of petrol in the dunes, forced to keep an eye on his consumption (but Barreda was later penalized).“Behind the top 3, the day was again marked by the problems of Alain Duclos, this time betrayed by a valve on his Sherco and obliged to be towed to the bivouac behind his team-mate Francisco Errazuriz. The Franco-Malian therefore loses all hopes of a good result in the general standings, the summit of which is still just as serenely occupied by Marc Coma, who increases his lead over Joan Barreda to 40’19”.“The icing on the cake for the Catalan is that the misfortunes of Duclos allow his water carrier Jordi Viladoms, sixth today, to enjoy a little more breathing space in third position in the general standings with a lead of 28’21” over the consistently regular Chilean Jeremias Israel Esquerre. Engaged in a frantic climb up the general standings, Cyril Despres gained another place today and is currently in 8th position, but sill almost 2 hours and 30 minutes from leader Marc Coma. Finally, a special mention should go to Laia Sanz, the leading lady in the general standings, who recorded a fantastic 9th best time of the day.”Check out the stage-action action during the “Dakar Rally Series,” which will air on NBC Sports Network at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15.For a preview including the entire Dakar 2014 schedule, click here.2014 Dakar Rally Stage 9 Quotes:Marc Coma (Red Bull KTM 450 Rally) says: “It was a complicated stage in the Atacama Desert. Very nice and very fast at the beginning, but on the last part we found some dunes. I tried to catch Joan, because he started two minutes in front of me. When I caught up with him I tried to follow to ride together to the end. It was a good day for me.”Joan Barreda Bort (Team HRC Honda CRF450 Rally) says: “It was a very complicated stage. I started very quickly, but Marc (Coma) accelerated and caught up with me in the dunes at the end of the stage.“I’m happy, because I did the best I can, I really did. There are two very hard days left. I’m going to carry on at the same pace. Tomorrow I’ll be opening the way, but I’m happy with the work that I’m doing.” Helder Rodrigues (Team HRC Honda CRF450 Rally) says: “It was good for me. I pushed, even if I knew that Cyril, Joan and Marc were fast, but I also pushed to make up time on the other riders.“At the finish I rode everything alone. It’s difficult because when you’re alone you have to decide everything by yourself, but I did some good navigation, not so fast but good. I’m happy to be here and have finished one day more. It was very long. The downhill, when you finish, is very nice.”Cyril Despres (Red Bull KTM 450 Rally) says: “As the organizers say, a day with a lot of everything, a lot of navigation and a lot of rios. There was a quite nice track that was twisty until the 200 km point. It was nice, with nice skids and nice corners.“Then we arrived in the part that is a little bit more complicated for the hands, wrists and arms. It was really bumpy with a lot of rocks. It was demanding, but everything like this, to arrive here via this descent, well, it’s a nice place to be.”2014 Dakar Rally Stage 9 Results:
Pos.
N°
Name
Mark
Time
variation
Penalty
1
2
COMA (ESP)
KTM
04:48:48
–
–
2
1
DESPRES (FRA)
YAMAHA
04:54:33
00:05:45
–
3
23
PEDRERO GARCIA (ESP)
SHERCO
04:57:48
00:09:00
–
4
19
SVITKO (SVK)
KTM
04:58:47
00:09:59
–
5
7
RODRIGUES (PRT)
HONDA
05:00:49
00:12:01
–
6
16
JAKES (SVK)
KTM
05:02:45
00:13:57
–
7
50
SANZ (ESP)
HONDA
05:03:39
00:14:51
–
8
38
ISRAEL ESQUERRE (CHL)
SPEEDBRAIN
05:04:06
00:15:18
–
9
3
BARREDA BORT (ESP)
HONDA
05:05:46
00:16:58
00:15:00
10
6
PAIN (FRA)
YAMAHA
05:06:08
00:17:20
–
11
26
GOUET (CHL)
HONDA
05:06:26
00:17:38
–
12
15
PRZYGONSKI (POL)
KTM
05:08:15
00:19:27
–
13
14
PIZZOLITO (ARG)
HONDA
05:08:45
00:19:57
–
14
4
VILADOMS (ESP)
KTM
05:15:28
00:26:40
00:15:00
15
9
CASTEU (FRA)
KTM
05:22:52
00:34:04
–
16
30
VAN NIEKERK (ZAF)
KTM
05:24:17
00:35:29
–
17
17
METGE (FRA)
YAMAHA
05:28:30
00:39:42
–
18
31
CECI (ITA)
SPEEDBRAIN
05:29:59
00:41:11
–
19
52
RODRIGUEZ (CHL)
HONDA
05:32:49
00:44:01
–
20
41
PROHENS (CHL)
YAMAHA
05:34:04
00:45:16
–
21
74
VOGELS (NLD)
KTM
05:35:22
00:46:34
–
22
28
KNUIMAN (NLD)
KTM
05:36:44
00:47:56
–
23
40
SALVATIERRA (BOL)
SPEEDBRAIN
05:37:22
00:48:34
00:15:00
24
133
TRIISA (EST)
HONDA
05:37:47
00:48:59
00:02:00
25
36
PATRAO (PRT)
SUZUKI
05:38:45
00:49:57
–
26
59
CUMMINGS (ZAF)
KTM
05:41:05
00:52:17
–
27
39
PABISKA (CZE)
KTM
05:42:35
00:53:47
–
28
76
CARDONA VAGNONI (VEN)
YAMAHA
05:43:05
00:54:17
–
29
27
GUASCH (ESP)
GAS – GAS
05:43:26
00:54:38
–
30
67
VAN PELT (NLD)
HONDA
05:44:58
00:56:10
–
31
83
CABRERA (CHL)
KAWASAKI
05:45:33
00:56:45
–
32
34
STANOVNIK (SVN)
KTM
05:46:14
00:57:26
–
33
69
PAYEN (FRA)
YAMAHA
05:51:31
01:02:43
–
34
134
DIENER (AUS)
YAMAHA
05:51:31
01:02:43
–
35
46
RODRIGUEZ (ARG)
HONDA
05:52:07
01:03:19
–
36
57
DA COSTA (FRA)
YAMAHA
05:55:28
01:06:40
–
37
44
OLIVEIRA (PRT)
SPEEDBRAIN
05:55:48
01:07:00
–
38
65
HEINRICH (PER)
HONDA
06:02:36
01:13:48
–
39
103
DE SOULTRAIT (FRA)
YAMAHA
06:04:13
01:15:25
–
40
53
BIANCHI PRATA (PRT)
HUSQVARNA
06:04:33
01:15:45
–
41
51
ARREDONDO (GTM)
KTM
06:05:41
01:16:53
–
42
75
O’CONNOR (AUS)
KTM
06:06:27
01:17:39
–
43
86
NASER COLOMBO (CHL)
KTM
06:07:49
01:19:01
–
44
42
PROHENS (CHL)
YAMAHA
06:10:26
01:21:38
–
45
73
DEMELCHORI (ARG)
KAWASAKI
06:12:39
01:23:51
–
46
117
MEERU (EST)
HONDA
06:14:10
01:25:22
–
47
165
ROBERTS (AUS)
KTM
06:21:26
01:32:38
–
48
100
CROQUELOIS (FRA)
YAMAHA
06:25:25
01:36:37
–
49
72
SAGHMEISTER (SRB)
KTM
06:27:59
01:39:11
–
50
49
OLIVEIRA (PRT)
HUSQVARNA
06:34:30
01:45:42
–
51
64
LAZARD (URY)
KTM
06:36:44
01:47:56
–
52
109
DEL ZOTTO (ARG)
GAS – GAS
06:38:47
01:49:59
–
53
180
DAMDINKHORLOO (MNG)
KTM
06:42:26
01:53:38
–
54
125
GUZMAN BLANCO (CHL)
KTM
06:42:49
01:54:01
–
55
87
VELLUTINO (PER)
KTM
06:51:50
02:03:02
–
56
80
REINIKE (CHL)
KTM
06:55:09
02:06:21
–
57
82
VALLE (MEX)
KTM
06:56:15
02:07:27
00:41:00
58
92
JOHNSON (USA)
HONDA
07:00:07
02:11:19
–
59
126
NIJEN TWILHAAR (NLD)
KTM
07:00:42
02:11:54
–
60
98
HAMARD (FRA)
KTM
07:02:41
02:13:53
–
61
189
TRACCAN (FRA)
HONDA
07:04:53
02:16:05
–
62
131
DESI (HUN)
KTM
07:05:27
02:16:39
–
63
93
DE GROOT (NLD)
HONDA
07:08:19
02:19:31
–
64
85
PENATE MUNOZ (ESP)
KTM
07:09:16
02:20:28
–
65
71
GRACIDA GARZA (MEX)
HONDA
07:18:32
02:29:44
–
66
106
GOUNON (FRA)
KTM
07:24:28
02:35:40
00:05:00
67
105
BATALLA (ESP)
GAS – GAS
07:35:54
02:47:06
–
68
58
PUERTAS HERRERA (ESP)
GAS – GAS
07:36:00
02:47:12
–
69
155
URQUIA (ARG)
YAMAHA
07:56:23
03:07:35
–
70
101
SARMIENTO CERON (COL)
YAMAHA
07:58:39
03:09:51
–
71
45
OLIVERAS CARRERAS (ESP)
GAS – GAS
07:59:13
03:10:25
–
72
63
ERRAZURIZ (CHL)
SHERCO
08:08:59
03:20:11
–
73
111
ESPINASSE (FRA)
KTM
08:11:59
03:23:11
–
74
91
CID DE LA PAZ (ARG)
YAMAHA
08:12:31
03:23:43
–
75
79
ONTIVEROS (ARG)
YAMAHA
08:18:21
03:29:33
–
76
169
CHIVITE RUIZ (ESP)
YAMAHA
08:28:42
03:39:54
–
77
149
QUIROGA (ARG)
YAMAHA
09:18:51
04:30:03
01:00:00
78
173
VIGLIO (ITA)
BETA
09:28:12
04:39:24
00:45:00
79
191
HOYOS LLACH (COL)
HONDA
10:13:09
05:24:21
–
80
118
GUYOMARC’H (FRA)
YAMAHA
10:53:23
06:04:35
–
81
174
ARANA COBEAGA (ESP)
YAMAHA
15:21:01
10:32:13
03:00:00
2014 Dakar Rally Overall Rankings (after stage 9 of 13):
