Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme : FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship

Victory for Marc Coma in the Sertões International Rally

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 10:31:00 +0200

The Repsol rider has won 3 of the 10 stages held and crossed the finish line with an advantage of more than 17 minutes over the runner-up

Today, the fourth event in the Raids World Championship season, the Sertões International Rally, has ended, in which Marc Coma has dominated the bikes category. The Repsol rider, who took part on his KTM 690 Rally, secured victory in three of the ten stages that made up the race, finishing first at the end of the third day and accumulating a final advantage of 17 minutes and 25 seconds.

With today's 390-kilometre stage - 107 of which were timed -, the Repsol rider finished the almost 4,500 kilometres of the 18th edition of the Sertões International Rally with a total time of 25 hours, 52 minutes and 42 seconds. Coma started the last day in second place, with a 22 minute advantage in the accumulated standings and without pushing the pace to ensure that he reached the finish line in Fortaleza, he finished eighth with a time of 1 hour, 19 minutes and 56 seconds.

In a rally that stands out for the diversity of the terrain over the different stages, Coma won the second special and on the third day, led the accumulated standings, benefiting from local rider José Helio pulling out. Since then, with two more stage wins and four second places, the Repsol rider extended his advantage to more than 22 minutes over the rider in second at the end of the day yesterday, a difference that he managed to take the final victory.

With this result, Coma wins the special Brazilian event for the first time in his career and is now just two points off the top spot in the Raids World Championship.

Marc Coma : "I'm very satisfied. Today's stage was a stage without complications despite the obvious physical exhaustion after riding 4,500 km. It's been a really tough rally and with very varied terrains, so we couldn't lose concentration for a second. But it's also been fun, as the scenery and conditions changed every day.

Now, we're just two points off the World championship, so now we have to finish with a good result in the last rally if we want to be World Champions. I'd like to thank my team for their effort, as we the Sertões International Rally 2010 wasn't in our competition plans. I want to dedicate this win to a very special and dear person, who unfortunately is no longer with us. Jaume Mimó, this victory is yours too".

Marc Coma starts third at the Dos Sertoes Rally

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 09:19:00 +0200

The Repsol rider was third in the first stage of the Brazilian event, fourth meeting of the Raids World Championship, contested in Brazil.

Yesterday, the latest Dos Sertoes Rally competition in Goiania, Brazil began with Marc Coma as one of the principal riders in the competition. After the preliminary stage contested yesterday, in which the Repsol rider was fifteenth, following a strategy planned with the team, Coma finished third in the first stage of almost 205 kilometres – 133 of them against the clock – with a time of 1 hour, 41 minutes and 48 seconds.

The Repsol rider, who went out late because of the strategy put into practice yesterday to make up time in the event’s first special stage, finished the special stage of 133 kilometres which spanned the Goiania and Caldas Novas areas, in third position. Coma was not able to exploit the bike’s full potential due to going out late, because the dust thrown up by the quads preceding him, did not allow him to ride as fast as he would have liked.

At the controls of the KTM 690 Rally, the Repsol rider faces almost 4,500 kilometres over the next ten days – of which 2,500 will be against the clock – which will reach its most difficult point on Monday and Tuesday, with two special stages of 423 and 500 kilometres respectively. The classic Brazilian event, the fourth meeting of the current Raids World Championships – following the races of Abu Dhabi, Tunisia and Sardinia – will finish on Friday of next week in Fortaleza, in the region of Ceará in the north of the country.

Marc COMA: “It’s been a more difficult day than we expected, as the thick dust thrown up by the quads didn’t make things easy. Anyway, having started from fifteenth place, after the preliminary stage of yesterday, I’m quite pleased.

The rally will be very hard and difficult and navigation will be very important, so we have to be careful and consistent at the same time. We have a good pace but we have to stay focussed to be able to tackle the marathon stage with confidence which, for me, is the most important thing.”

Pirelli Moto riders before the break

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:05:00 +0200

The 2010 world racing scene has been filled with action and memorable competition, but the season will soon take a short break for the summer. The various Pirelli Moto riders have competed at the very maximum and will benefit from a well-deserved break from their racing activities. As part of a mid-season racing update, we are pleased to inform you that many of our teams and riders lead of their respective championships. Many of our worldwide Pirelli locations have also experienced successes from their local and national Pirelli riders.

At present time Pirelli riders maintain leadership positions in the following World Championships:

FIM WORLD MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP (after 11 rounds)

#1 World Championship MX1 – Toni Cairoli

#1 World Championship MX2 – Marvin Musquin

#1 World Championship Women’s MX (5 rounds) – Stephanie Laier

FIM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ENDURANCE (after 3 rounds)

#1 Endurance SBK Class - Team Bolliger Switzerland Kawasaki (Saiger/Stamm)

FIM WORLD ENDURANCE SUZUKA 8-HOURS

#1 Endurance 600cc Class – Team Moriwaki (Miyazima/Brodie)

FIM CROSS-COUNTRY RALLIES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (after 3 rounds)

#1 OVER 450 CC – Marc Coma

FIM E-POWER INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (after 3 rounds)

#1 Electric Racing - Betti Moto Racing

Pirelli continues to deliver performances as official tyre to riders in the various world-class championships:

FIM SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (after 10 rounds)

Superbike World Championship – Max Biaggi

Supersport World Championship – Kenan Sofuoglu

Superstock 1000 FIM Cup – Ayrton Badovini

Superstock 600 European Championship – Jeremy Guarnoni

Victory for Marc Coma in the Rally of Sardinia

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:05:00 +0200

The Repsol rider has won the third event of the Raids World Championships, achieving victory in 5 of the 9 special stages taking place during the 5 days of the race.

The Italian island of Sardinia has been for the last five days, the venue of the third event of the Raids World Championships, won by Marc Coma. Leader from the first special stage, the Repsol rider has dominated the race with an iron grip from its first moments, setting a pace and level of riding which, despite navigation difficulties, no other competitor was able to reach.

The prologue to the 2010 edition of the Rally of Sardinia began last Thursday in Olbia, in the far north of the island, in which 77 riders set out with the goal of fighting for victory in the unique Italian event. 1.690 kilometres later, after five days of competition and nine timed sections, Marc Coma has again taken the highest step of the podium at the controls of a KTM EXC 530, after a race which, as usual, was notable for riding and navigation difficulty on the mountainous Italian tracks, always very technical, narrow, windy and with many paths and tracks which make orientation difficult.

Preparing for the first stage, Coma finished in sixteenth place the initial three kilometres against the clock, a strategy which the following day enabled him to start behind and overtake his rivals, to dominate the two specials of the day. Despite the rain on the second day and having to be the first out, the Repsol rider remained the leader of the race with almost four minutes in his advantage over the second placed rider.

The third day, Coma took the second of the specials and the overall stage, extending his lead in the overall standings on a day dominated by navigation difficulties. These difficulties, repeated in the fourth stage, which took place yesterday, in which Coma managed to secure a new victory in the longest timed section of the rally – 195 kilometres -, being the first out and, at the end of the day, gaining an advantage in the standings of more than twelve minutes, prior to today’s stage.

Set in forested areas, along rough tracks full of stones and the typical firebreaks of this rally, Coma won one of the two specials of the day, confirming his final race victory. The Repsol rider has overcome his unresolved issues in the best possible way with a race in which a year ago he was knocked out by a fall whilst leading the event, demonstrating once again his talent at the controls of a bike, his navigation skills and his ambition to strive for the highest level.

Victory for Coma in Tunisia

Fri, 07 May 2010 18:33:00 +0200

The Repsol rider has achieved three stage wins and first place in his category, second in the scratch standings, overcoming tyre problems.  The second race that scores in the Raids World Championships, the Rally Tunisia, has finished with a hard-fought victory for Marc Coma, who put in a flawless second half of the race, overcoming the tyre problems he had on the second day. The Repsol rider lost 25 minutes in the second special stage and finished first in the over 450cc category, second in the overall standings behind Chaleco López, closing the gap with him by 17 minutes over three days. 

After 1,848 kilometres, 1,331 of them timed, Marc Coma has taken a new victory in the Raids World Championship. The Repsol rider asserted his talent in the African dunes to recover after the tyre problems he had on the second day, at the end of which he was eighth in the overall standings, more than 28 minutes behind the leader, Chaleco López. Winner the next day, Coma also won the fourth stage and yesterday, despite breaking a wheel rim 40 kilometres from the end, he managed to finish second, climbing up to the third provisional position.

In today's stage, a strong sand storm that affected the participants yesterday significantly complicated the special stage. Despite having barely 132 timed kilometres, Coma took his third stage victory in this Rally with authority, climbing a position in both the overall standings and in his category - bikes over 450cc-. The Repsol rider thereby completed a low to high Rally, in which, demonstrating his talent on the dunes, he made an enormous comeback to take victory.

The Repsol rider's next race will be in Italy, where the third race that counts towards the World Champion, the Rally of Sardinia, will be held between 27 May and 1 June.

“Everything went very well. It was a very complete Rally, with many dunes and navigation, and weather conditions that, over the last few days, have made things very complicated. I'm pleased with this win in my category, second in the Rally, because they are important points towards the World Championship.

We had another good race, with a good pace and despite the problems of the first few days, we fought to the end, doing a very good job. Today was particularly tough because, although the special wasn't very long, the sand storm made it very difficult”.

Marc Coma wins Abu Dhabi Rally

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 16:07:00 +0200

The Repsol rider, who led the race from the first stage, wins the United Arab Emirates rally for the fourth time. Marc Coma has started his participation in the World Raid Championship as he usually does, with a win in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Leading the race from the first stage, the Repsol rider has been able to keep his advantage over 2,000 kms (including 1,245 kms of timed stages) across the dunes of the United Arab Emirates harsh desert. This is the Spaniard’s fourth win after taking victory last year, in 2006 and 2007.

After some really difficult months for him, Marc Coma was in need of a win and he has achieved victory in the best possible way: he won the rally’s first stage and has stayed at the top of the general standings until the end of the competition. Strategy once more has played a very important role in Coma’s victory. He lost twenty seconds in Saturday’s prologue stage, which allowed him to start from 20th place on Sunday just to win the stage with a five-minute lead over second-place “Chaleco” López.

The second special was harder, as he had to open the race amid a strong sandstorm and extremely high temperatures. He finished the stage fifth but still managed to retain his first position with a three-minute lead. On Tuesday, with the sandstorm weakening but temperatures still around 40ºC, he finished third but extended his lead at the top of the general standings to twelve minutes.
Coma rode very steadily during the last two stages, yesterday and today, finishing second on both and arriving at the Abu Dhabi final finishing line with a ten-minute lead over the runner-up. The next test for the Repsol rider will be the Tunisia Rally, to start on May 1.

Marc Coma said: “I am very happy, winning is always good. The Desert Challenge is always a very special race, with all the dunes and really harsh desert conditions, so coming here and winning it again is a great feeling. It’s been a pretty tough race, just as we expected, with a strong sandstorm at the start and a lot of heat every day which is very hard for the bike and your own body.
The strategy was the right one and everything has turned out well, because under such difficult circumstances the important thing is to cross the final finishing line without any major problems. I’d like to dedicate this victory to all the people that supported me, but specially, to those that wanted to grind me down, because the only thing they did was motivate me even more, increase my hunger to compete and reassure me of what we are: fighters”.

Sebastian’s hopes dashed; Coma on title course

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 19:39:00 +0200

In a dramatic change of fortunes, quad rider Sebastian Husseini lost his position and quad title hopes after leading for three straight days in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the season-opening round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, when his Suzuki developed a serious mechanical snag mid-way through the penultimate stage on Wednesday.

KTM’s Marc Coma further extended his lead in what promises to be a close finish in the bikes category overall.

Overnight leader Spaniard Coma finished second to South African Sean Gaugain, and just under three minutes ahead of UAE-born Briton James West, meaning that the battle for supremacy continues to fluctuate.

“The final day is going to be very exciting for us bikers, almost a ‘photo-finish’” enthused a tired but exhilarated West.

Coma takes to stage five with an overall lead of just under 10 minutes and Gaugain, who continues to dominate the 450 category on his Honda, holds a seven-minute advantage over KTM rider, West. Meanwhile, Frenchman David Casteu continues to shadow his KTM rival with barely two minutes separating him from a podium finish tomorrow.

Francesco Lopez and UAE’s David McBride finished the day second and third in the 450C, respectively. The day’s results did not however upset the overall rankings though Casteu’s fourth place finish means pack leader Gaugain goes into the final stage with nearly eight more minutes added to his lead.

The Quads category witnessed a major upset when pack leader for the first three days Husseini’s Suzuki developed serious mechanical problems eating away into the one hour four minute lead he had over nearest rival Obaid Echtibi.

At passage control (PC) three, Husseini had fallen back by over three-and-a-half hours, catapulting Echtibi to the top of the rankings. Any hopes Husseini might have had were dashed after Echtibi completed Stage 5 comfortably even while the pack leader continued to struggle.

Echtibi was the runner up in his category last year.

Several in the quads category gained at the expense of Husseini’s misfortune, including local radio presenter Vicky White who continued her impressive showing in the Challenge finishing fourth on the day on her Suzuki LTR 450 and moving up to second overall followed by Colin Mercer in third.

The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the season opening round of the FIA Cross-Country Rallies World Cup and FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, has traditionally attracted a host of partners, and in 2010 including Nissan, ADNOC, Al Ain Water, Crowne Plaza Yas Island, Explorer, FedEx, Tag Heuer and Thuraya.

The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority is the title sponsor of the event.

Leading positions on Leg 4 (Provisional):

Overall Bikes
1. Marc Coma - 16h 56m 33s
2. Sean Gaugain - 17h 06m 19s
3. James West - 17h 14m 19s

Coma in bid to stop Gaugain challenge

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:33:00 +0200

KTM’s Marc Coma continued to make steady progress in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in a bid to secure a fourth victory in the event in five years, and despite extending his overnight lead by almost seven minutes the race for the title is expected to witness a tight finish.

Coma added precious minutes to his overnight lead in an effort to stave off the challenge posed by Sean Gaugain on his Honda CRF 450 X while David Casteu on a Sherco 450 continued to shadow the 450 Category pack leader in a battle that is expected to heat over the next two days.

At the end of Day 3, barely one and a half minutes separated Gaugain from Casteu while James West on his KTM 690 R factory bike ended in fourth overall, 28 seconds behind the third placed Casteu.

With two more days left of the Challenge, the season-opening round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, fortunes are expected to fluctuate between the top five in a contest that could see a thrilling last day on April 1.

In the Quads Category, Sebastian Husseini goes into Day 4 placed comfortably with nearly a one-hour lead over his closest rival Obaid Echtibi.

The two have traditionally shared a healthy rivalry in their category, most often swapping places over stages and, though Husseini at this point looks a sure winner, the eventual result is expected to be close.

Female Quad rider, local radio presenter Vicky White is also doing extremely well by slowly building on her overnight third place.

For White, a finish anywhere among the top five is seen as a bonus given that she did not have time for practice having joined as a late entry after she was provided with a Suzuki LTR 450 to compete against her more established male counterparts.

The second female rider in the Quads Category, the more experienced Camelia Liparoti-Baggiani is placed tenth overall with slim chances of overtaking Vicky given that the radio presenter currently has a healthy three-hour advantage over the Italian.

The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the season opening round of the FIA Cross-Country Rallies World Cup and FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, has traditionally attracted a host of partners, and in 2010 including Nissan, ADNOC, Al Ain Water, Crowne Plaza Yas Island, Explorer, FedEx, Tag Heuer and Thuraya.

The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority is the title sponsor of the event.

Coma slips as Jakub mounts challenge at Prologue

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 18:01:00 +0100

Sebastian and Sean begin campaign on winning note at Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2010

The 20th edition of the Abu Dhabi desert Challenge, the season-opening round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, got underway this morning with Jakub Przysonski mounting a serious challenge to veteran Marc Coma’s bid for a fourth title in the UAE’s premier off-road event with a psychological victory over the Spaniard in the Super Special.

Taking advantage of the reverse start order, Jakub shaved off a good eight seconds from the time set by Coma of 2:04.53 on the specially laid out two-kilometer Super Special route at the brand new Al Forsan Sports International Resort, located some 40 kilometers on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi city.

Marek Swiderski, riding an identical bike to that of Jakub, clocked 1:58.38 to push Coma to third place in a category packed with upcoming talent.

The 450 category also threw up some surprises even though Sean Gaugain did manage to finish ahead of his closest rival Frans Verhoeven by the tiniest of margins. Sean clocked 1:50.59 to Frans’ 1:51.33 while Roman Krejci took third position in a time of 1:52.58, the times close times providing a precursor what lies ahead when the actual competitive stages begin on the morning of March 28.

In the Quads category, Sebastian Husseini prevailed over local challenger Mohammed Al Shamsi and 2009 runner-up Obaid Echtibi. While Sebastian finished his stage in 1:44.53, Al Shamsi and Echtibi clocked 1:47.02 and 1:55.22 respectively.

With about 2,000 kilometers of challenging desert terrain beckoning the riders over the next five days, competitors were unanimous in their weather outlook going by the windy and dusty conditions this morning and steadily rising temperatures.

Addressing competitors at a welcome reception the previous evening, FIA Vice President and President of the UAE Motorcycle Club Mohammed Ben Sulayem advised riders not to take either terrain or the weather for granted. “I have raced in these dunes for years, and yet even I cannot say that I know this terrain well,” he told the gathering in conclusion.

The UAE's premier off-road event is the brainchild of Sulayem and was first introduced in 1991. The rally has been managed by the ATCUAE since Sulayem took over at the helm in 2006.

The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge has traditionally attracted a host of partners, and in 2010 these include Nissan, ADNOC, Al Ain Water, Crowne Plaza Yas Island, Explorer, FedEx, Tag Heuer and Thuraya.

‘Girl power’ out to have ‘fun’ at Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:34:00 +0100

The 2010 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the season-opening round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, is all set to demonstrate “girl power” with female riders positioned to take off when the grueling five-day competitive spectacular gets underway on March 28.

Vicky White, a relative novice, makes a comeback to the Challenge following a two-year hiatus having finished 31st in the highly competitive and exhausting bikes category in 2007, but this time will straddle a Suzuki LTR 450 in the quads category.

White, a British national expatriate living in the UAE with a day job as a radio presenter, is thrilled to be back amongst the ominous dunes of The Empty Quarter “for the fun and joy” and, because as a competitor she will have the privilege of getting an “amazing view” of some of the world’s best riders.

“I have always wanted to compete on a quad, but in 2007 I entered the bikes category and despite training for over six months I realised in the end that it was an uphill ask. The bikes are tough to handle,” White said ahead of the prologue and ceremonial start which gets underway on March 27.

Surprisingly, White reveals that her entry was never planned for this year. “I was with a friend and spoke to him about my love for quads and how much I would love to compete when he suggested that I sign up for the Challenge.

“I suppose memories of 2007 helped me make a quick, brave decision,” White added.

Indeed a brave decision given that the local radio presenter has not had the time to train for an event that will take her through approximately 2,000 kilometers of treacherous and most often imposing sand dunes of The Empty Quarter.

In sharp contrast, Italian Camelia Liparoti-Baggiani is a seasoned campaigner having been crowned the women’s champion in last year’s edition of the Cross-Country Rallies World Championship.

Camelia, who finished a credible 28th overall in the Challenge in 2009 in the company of some of the best quad riders in the world such as Sebastian Husseini and Obaid Echtibi, is expected to push her KTM 525 XC ATV to the limit in her quest for yet another top podium finish in the Championship.

Giving a huge thumbs up to the organizational skills of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE, the diminutive but tough Italian rider had told journalists the previous day: “The Desert Challenge is my favourite event in the World Championship and I am going to do my best for all the girls and women who want to compete like me.”

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA Vice President, President of the UAE Motorcycle Club and Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, said he was delighted that more and more women were taking motorsport worldwide.

“I am glad that an increasing number of women are taking up the sport which, incidentally, is in line with what the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) also desires. In fact, the last WMSC meeting in Bahrain earlier this month endorsed the composition of a 19-member Women & Motor Sport Commission.

“The WMC aims to facilitate the full participation of women in all aspects of motor sport and set in place strategies and policies that will promote the education and training of women in motor sport,” Sulayem pointed out.

The UAEMC president also disclosed that 18 year old Maitha Al Ahli this month became the first Emirati female to have obtained an FIM karting competition license. “This is the beginning for Emirati women in motor sport, I am sure others will join young Maitha. This is a process, albeit a slow process but nevertheless a beginning has been made,” Sulayem said.