Dakar Day 3 - Coma reasserts dominance on 2009 Dakar

Despite starting the day in 17th place, Spaniard Marc Coma dominated day three of the 2009 Dakar Rally to move clear at the top of the timing sheets.

The factory Repsol KTM rider won the shortened 551KM timed special stage by 17m 49s and now leads the overall Dakar standings by a comfortable 39m 11s.

The days riding saw the remaining 192 competitors head into Patagonia where they were faced with more demanding and technical terrain which clearly suited Coma and his 690 KTM.

He said:

“After the problems I had yesterday and the fact that I was starting behind so many bikes on such a dusty stage was a worry, but it all went well and I got into my rhythm and had no problems.

“It was a complete stage today; a real test of fast and technical riding. I made the decision to use a tube tyre and by being careful I didn’t have any problems.”

Second place on the stage went to Norwegian Pal Anders Ullevalseter who finished 17m  49s behind Coma to back up his podium aspirations for the event. The KTM rider now holds third overall 42m 25s off the lead.

Yamaha’s David Fretiigne was unable to match his impressive third position finish on day two and ended the stage seventh overall. With a time just 22m 20s off Coma, the Frenchman was rewarded for his consistency by moving up to second in the overall Dakar standings.

Coma’s KTM team-mate and back-up rider Jordi Viladoms showed what he is capable of to take third, with another top man, David Casteu returning to the front in fourth.

Pre race favorite Cyril Despres suffered another disastrous day after tyres robbed him of the chance to fight for the stage win for the second time.

The Frenchman suffered a damaged rear mouse, which subsequently melted due to the heat which prevented Despres from being able to remove it.

The 2007 Dakar winner then broke the bead of the tyre trying to resolve the problem meaning he had to finish the rest of the stage with the original melted mouse which caused him massive vibration and limited his speed.

A disconsolate Despres finished 47th on the stage 1h 2m 48s down and now sits 21st overall, 1h 32m 50s off the pace of Coma.

Despres said: “I wanted to change to a tube, but couldn’t get the mouse out and lost so much time trying and damaged my tyre trying to fix the problem. After a year of preparation my Dakar is over.”

British rider Stanley Watt (KTM Front Row GB) continued what has been an impressive riding display for a third day to secure another top 30 result.

The 37 year old Brit claimed 27th on stage with a time 40m 13s behind the leader. The result see’s him hold 22nd overall just 1 place behind Despres.

Honda’s Mick Extance also had another good day to claim 33rd in the stage and move up to 31st overall.

Watt’s team-mate Jonathan Stamper (KTM Front Row GB) had his best result so far by finishing 76th which moves him up to 98th overall. BMW man Simon Pavey finished the stage 81st and now sits 85th overall.

Craig Bounds (KTM Desert Rose Racing) took 104th place with Ewan Bucham (KTM Desert Rose Racing) 145th. Irish riders Gary Ennis (KTM Team Dakar Ireland) and Phillip Noone (Team Dolphin Racing KTM) took 153rd and 158th respectively.

Day four of the Dakar is relatively short at 488Km but with the timed Special stage making up 459KM it will be another critical day for all competitors.