through the final special when
the skies opened up. Racers at-
tempted to push through the ex-
tremely slippery conditions and
poor visibility, but before they
reached the designated finish at
Technopolis in Buenos Aires, the
decision was made to call the
race at CP2 (67.8 miles instead
of the intended 108.1 miles).
"I'm happy and proud," Coma
said. "As usual it was a gruel-
VOL. 52 ISSUE 3 JANUARY 20, 2015 P23
ing rally. We had to overcome a
problem on the second day that
slowed us down a bit in the rank-
ings. So from then on we had to
change the strategy a little and
push to recover that time. We
knew that the marathons would
be key stages and they were. I
am happy with the team and the
people we have around us. This
fifth win says a lot about all of us.
The level was very high and this
also makes the win very valuable."
As Coma said, the marathon
stages proved to be turning
points for the HRC team. After
the Uyuni salt flat during the
first marathon stage took Joan
Barreda out of contention for the
win, the second marathon stage
was also a game-changer for the
HRC team.
Upon completing the first
stretch of the second marathon
stage (Stage 10 on Wednesday,
January 14), Paulo Goncalves
started to have engine trouble.
During the marathon stage, riders
cannot receive any assistance
from their support team. But
working together through the
night, the riders came up with
the best solution, which was for
Goncalves to receive the motor
from Joan Barreda's bike (since it
was the freshest), and Barreda to
receive the motor from Jeremias
Israel's CRF450 Rally. Israel,
unfortunately, was forced to retire
from the race at that point.
The engine trade-off got
HRC's top riders back into the
rally, but it also came with a
15-minute time penalty. Gon-
calves, who had been seven
minutes behind Coma in second
place, was now 20 minutes be-
hind. Although it did not change
the overall standings, it made it
that much less likely to steal the
overall win.
"I've given a free 15 minutes
to all my rivals," Goncalves said
after Stage 11. "It was already dif-
ficult seven minutes behind, but
now it's even more difficult."
The HRC team kept their
hopes alive, but in the end,
Coma remained cautious and
diligent all the way through to the
finish for a solid victory.
"I'm over the moon, that's for
sure," said Coma. "But even
on the last day we weren't able
to take it easy. I had a problem
with the tire so I had to change
tack. I had to push hard so I set
a strong pace. I had to do it to
make things happen."
Coma called the first mara-
thon stage (where riders faced
the dreaded salt flat in Bolivia)
the turning point of the rally.
"Our arrival in Bolivia heralded a
decisive moment. We knew that.
I survived and made it through
Salar de Uyuni. That was the key
moment. So I'm very happy. De-
lighted to be here. It's been a life's
work with the entire team."
Gonçalves went on to finish
second—an admirable finish for
the HRC team.
"I'm happy to make it here
in second place overall," Gon-
calves said. "I think the whole
team deserves this result, espe-
cially after all the hard work they
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
RED
BULL
CONTENT
POOL
Marc Coma
celebrates his
Dakar victory
with the Red Bull
KTM team in
Buenos Aires.
