2012 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
More than two months have passed since the 2012 Dakar Rally, and the runner-up is ready for another race – the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the first round of the 2012 Cross Country Rally World Championship.
The rider, Repsol KTM’s Mar Coma, has earned five wins at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, including the past three races (2006 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011). This year, the event will run from April 1-6, and take Coma and his fellow riders around 1240 miles, with 944 of those timed.
There will be a prologue on Sunday, and the first of five stages begins Monday. Dunes, white sand and extremely high temperatures are what await Coma as he passes through the Al Gharbia region and the Liwa desert aboard the KTM 450 Rally.
Repsol says every mile will count over the five days and mistakes will be difficult to recover from, whilst the toughest stage will be number four: 310 miles long, with 197 against the clock.
Marc Coma (Repsol KTM 450 Rally) says: “It’s more than two months since the Dakar ended and we have been able to rest up and prepare for this race. I’m raring to go and am really excited about the challenge ahead. The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is always a very demanding event, above all because of the temperatures -which reach over 40 ºC.
“You can’t afford to make any mistakes there either. It is a short race and very intense, so the most important thing is not to put a foot wrong. There is simply no room to make up lost time. What’s more, nearly all the big names from the Dakar will be there, so it will be important to be at our best every day.”
Stay clicked to UltimateMotorCycling.com for results of this year’s Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
