Dakar2012: Day 8 from Bikes in the Fast Lane

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Dakar2012: Day 8

January
2012

  File under Dakar Race
  Author: Mike Werner
  Location: Normandy, France

Race day 8, the day after the rest day on Sunday, sees big changes and issues surrounding the Dakar

rally, specially in the motorcycle category.

Marc Coma

started as first, followed by Cyril Despres

. Not far from the start, the track went past a dried up river bed, which had received a lot of water in the last few days, and turned into deep mud. Coma managed to navigate himself out of it without any problems, but Despres went straight into the trap and got stuck as did many after him (they were just following his tracks). He ended up 15 minutes behind Coma, and far behind him in the medal ladder.

Despres's team complained, specially since the organizers closed that part of the track after the first 5 or so got stuck, and finally the race stewards credited Despres with the time lost, so now he's only 1 minute 24 seconds behind. But was it fair???

Coma was not given any time credits, but he circumnavigated the mud trap loosing time in the process. Something does not look right here.

Alex Doringer, Team Manager for the KTM Factory Team said: “We welcome the fact that Cyril’s times have been reinstated, but we feel that if this decision was based on sporting fairness, then Marc’s time should also have been adjusted”

Marc Coma: “It was a very long special,” he said. “I was lucky not to lose too much time in the mud and then I saw I could open a gap, so I attacked really hard. This is my 20th special victory. That’s a nice figure but it’s not winning the special that count, it’s winning the race. And I know there is still a long week of racing ahead.”

Here are the photos of yesterday. most are courtesy KTM

and Maragni M.

. Most photos can be enlarged by clicking on them after they have all fully loaded.

Click for bigger version of Dakar2012 8 Christopher Birch

Christopher Birch © Maragni M. KTM Images

Click for bigger version of Dakar2012 8 Cyril Despres 1

Cyril Despres © Maragni M. KTM Images


France's Cyril Depres on his KTM arrives at the bivouac of the eight stage of the fourth South American edition of the Dakar Rally 2012 from Copiapo to Antofagasta, January 9, 2012. Despres lost his first place in the overall standings after his motorbike got stuck in mud during the stage. REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen


France's Cyril Depres arrives on his KTM at the bivouac of the eighth stage of the fourth South American edition of the Dakar Rally 2012 from Copiapo to Antofagasta, January 9, 2012. Despres lost his first place in the overall standings after his motorbike got stuck in mud during the stage. REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen