2015 Sealine Rally Results, Motorcycle
Can anyone stop Marc Coma? The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing pilot began 2015 off strong with win at the 37th edition of the Dakar Rally, which was his fifth Dakar title.
He followed the Dakar performance with a victory in early April at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, round one of the 2015 FIM Cross Country Rallies Championship.
And on Friday, Coma added another win for a perfect score so far this year. The 38-year-old Spaniard topped the podium of the Sealine Cross-Country Rally held in Qatar, which took riders nearly 1200 miles in five days of competing in stoney sand.
This was Coma’s third win of the Sealine Rally, which was in its fourth edition this year. Besides taking the win, he also extended his points lead in the Cross Country Rallies Championship.
Joining Coma on the Sealine Rally podium were Team HRC Honda CRF450 Rally pilots Joan Barreda and Paulo Gonclaves, respectively.
“We started the year very well, and we are still on the right way. Now it is time to enjoy this beautiful moment and then begin to work ahead of the next race in Sardinia.”
Coma’s fellow countryman and teammate on the other KTM 450 Rally,Jordi Viladoms, finished fourth. KTM simply dominated in Qatar; the remaining top-10 riders were also all on KTM machinery: Pablo Quintanilla (Chile), Sam Sunderland (GBR), Matthias Walkner (Australia), Matthias Walkner (Australia), Armand Monleon (Spain), Jakub Piatek (Poland) and Mohammed Albalooshi (UAE). The remaining Red Bull KTM Factory rider, Portugal’s Ruben Faria, retired after stage one with a wrist injury.
Coma began the rally with the stage-one victory, and though that’s was the only stage win, he rode smartly to take the win. He would finish 4:40 minutes ahead of Barreda, and 6:33 minutes ahead of Gonclaves.
Round four of the 2015 FIM Cross Countries Rally Championship heads to Italy’s second largest island behind Sicily Sardinia, for the Sardegna Rally June 6-11, which is not like the other sandy stages. The terrain is unique – more akin to enduro racing.
2015 Sealine Rally Results, Motorcycle:
1. Coma, 19 hours 56.48
2. Barreda, Honda, at 4.40
3. Goncalves, Honda, at 6.33
4. Viladoms, KTM, at 17.59
5. Quintanilla, KTM, at 18:00
6. Sunderland, KTM, at 21:10
7. Walkner, KTM, at 1:40.18
8. Monleon, KTM, 2:42.33
9. Piatek, KTM, 3:55.00
10. Mohammed Albalooshi, KTM, 4:00.21
2015 Sealine Rally Results, Motorcycle – Marc Coma Photo Gallery: