Just like at Home for Marc Coma in Dakar's Stage 10
Maverick - Jan 12, 2010

Way behind in the general standings, Marc Coma used the last special stage in Chile, measuring 238 km, to add a line to his roll of honor in the form of a 3rd victory on the Dakar 2010. The Catalan, on a KTM, beat Frétigné and Rodrigues. Despres still has a comfortable lead in the general standings.

Goodbye to the Atacama Desert and hello again to winding roads and specialists of skids and accelerations. In the rolling decor of the mountain landscape Marc Coma, the previous day’s winner, set things going. The Catalan spent a lonely day out on his own.

While the Coma went speeding away, David Frétigné probably had his mind on a 10-minute penalty handed out to him yesterday for failing to respect the flags at the finishing line. The Yamaha rider consequently started in 13th position today, which was not ideal for tackling a special that could have been beneficial for his smaller cylinder machine, though the day ended up turning out well for him.

On tracks that were very similar to those in his native Catalonia where he trains, Marc Coma performed the rest of the competitors at the front of the race, from start to finish. Within a little more than 3 hours, the KTM rider beat David Frétigné, who managed to overcome this morning’s setback, by 2’06 and Helder Rodrigues by 2’36. The Portuguese rider put in the day’s best performance, closing in on 3rd place in the general standings. He is currently only 52” behind Francisco “Chaleco” Lopez and 2’10 behind Ullevalseter, current runner-up to Despres.

The battle for the podium therefore promises to be exciting, especially since tomorrow could smile upon the 450cc machines rather than Ullevalseter’s 690cc.

The race leader, Cyril Despres, who is still out in front by more than one hour, protected his lead, keeping Coma at a respectable distance without taking too many risks. The two-time winner of the Dakar (in 2005 and 2007) now boasts a lead of 1 hour and 22 minutes over Ullevalseter.