Motorcyclist Marc Coma won his third Dakar Rally title in spectacular style earlier this year. The very model of a champion rider, let's break him down to his basic elements…
Motorbikes
Marc was in the saddle of a motorbike before he walked his first steps. He learnt to ride on his family’s Montesa Cota 348 before getting his own Puch Cobra 74 as a present. Marc progressed to a Honda CR 125 and, at 18-years-old, he was competing in national motorcross championships. One year later, Marc won the junior Spanish Enduro championship on a KTM 250cc.
Arras-Madrid-Dakar
After catching the Enduro bug, it wasn't long before Marc started dreaming about racing in the Dakar Rally. He got his first chance to race the desert classic in 2002. The route started in the northern French town of Arras and passed through Spain before speeding off towards Dakar. Marc raced on a custom bike built by fellow Enduro enthusiast Carlos Sotelo. After impressing in the early stages, Marc eventually crashed out of the 2002 Dakar.
Rally Dakar
Marc did enough in the 2002 Dakar to convince motorcycle manufacture KTM to bring him into their team alongside Nani Roma. In the 2003 Dakar, running from Marseille to Sharm el-Sheikh, Marc finished in eleventh place overall. The following year, he crashed out again after losing consciousness on the fifth stage. Marc was back in 2005 and powered to a second place finish. He was closer than ever to his dream.
Champion
At 28-years-old, Marc won the 2006 edition of the Dakar Rally. After a steady start, Marc hit the lead on the fourth stage and stayed on top right through to the finish. There was also sadness for Marc during his first Dakar win, his friend Andy Caldecott died after crashing on the ninth stage of the race. Marc dedicated his victory to Andy and has continued to keep the memory of the Aussie biker alive during his Dakar wins in 2009 and 2011.
Cyril Despres
Right now three is the magic number for Marc as he sits on a triple crown of Dakar victories. If he wants to add a fourth victory to his collection, he will have to once again beat fellow KTM rider Cyril Despres. Frenchman Despres and Marc are ‘the best of enemies’ and have been trading the Dakar crown for the past six editions of the desert classic. Cyril has also won the Dakar three times, victorious in 2005, 2007 and 2010. Watching Cyril and Marc racing against each other is the stuff of legend for fans of Enduro.
Obsession
Marc’s obsession to be the best extends way beyond the sands of the Dakar Rally. After burning rubber at full throttle all over the globe, Marc has more titles than the entire Spanish Royal Family combined. Marc has been crowned Cross Country World Champion four times. He has also won the Aragón Rally, Sardinian Rally, Pharaons Rally, Las Pampas Rally, Moroccan Rally, UAE Desert Challenge, Tunisian Rally, Patagonia-Atacama Rally, Abu Dhabi Rally and Dos Sertos Rally. If there’s a rally raid happening somewhere in the world you can bet Marc is in first place.
Més que un club
Marc was born and raised in Avià, a small town in Catalonia. As a proud Catalonian, there was only one choice of football club for Marc to support. When Marc is not winning rally raids around the world, he can be found watching FC Barcelona at Camp Nou. During the 2011 Dakar Rally, Marc arrived at the finish line of one stage more concerned about Barcelona’s score against Levante than his own performance that day. One of the greatest honours of Marc’s career was being voted Catalonian Sportsperson of the Year in 2007.
Asia
2012 will see Marc race the Dakar Rally in Asia for the first time. We’re not talking about China or India though. The 2012 Dakar will pass through Peru’s Asian District as it finishes in Lima. In fact, all of the last three stages of the 2012 Dakar will take place on Peruvian soil. It will be new territory for Marc but he will be hoping the last leg to Lima delivers his fourth Dakar victory.
Gabriel Barbosa
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