Marc Coma wraps up his pre-Dakar test in Morocco

Rider Marc Coma completed a successful test on the dunes of Morocco this week. From Friday, November 15 through this Wednesday, Coma carried out six days of training with his new KTM 450 Rally in the Merzouga area, all with a view to the next edition of the Dakar.

He continues his training plan to face his participation in the toughest race on the planet, the true challenge of the season. Coma, a three-time Dakar winner, is tackling his eleventh participation after completing a season in which he accumulated the most competition kilometres by taking part in every round of the World Cup: the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the Sealine Cross-Country Rally in Qatar, the Sardinia Rally, the Ruta 40 Challenge in Argentina, the Rally dos Sertões in Brazil and the Rally of Morocco.

The rider finished runner-up in the world, in a season in which he claimed three victories (Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Sardinia) and did not drop off the podium in any event. In short, the best preparation for facing the Rally Dakar, which starts on January 5 and runs until the 18th. Ahead lie 8,733 kilometres, 5,228 of them timed, on a route that will visit Argentina, Bolivia and Chile.

Statements from Marc Coma:

We spent a week in Morocco, in the Merzouga area, where we carried out some positive training. The goal was to keep accumulating kilometres on the bike and get the rider-bike combination to bond as closely as possible. These kilometres are very important for us. In our Dakar preparation we have always done this training and it has always been positive. Here the conditions are already becoming difficult, with the cold, and it isn’t the best situation for riding a motorbike. Besides, in Morocco you isolate yourself a little, which always helps you focus on training.

Now we continue with the usual preparation, with gym work, cycling and, weather permitting, also on the bike. In addition, some specific altitude work to get us used to some of the stages we will find at the Dakar.

Source | AMV