Marc Coma will enter the 2012 Dakar Rally as the man to beat. Coma is a three-time Dakar Rally and is currently the reining champion. Coma and the MRW Red Bull AMV Team are ready to fight for another victory in 2012.
The 2012 Dakar Rally will start on January 1st. Coma and the rest of the rally riders will travel more than 5000 miles for more than two weeks across South America before the Dakar Rally comes to its conclusion.
"We just have a few days left to finish preparing the luggage and all the material, and we also need to dedicate some time to review the rules and the route of the stages," Coma said. "We will stay a bit active, as the training on the bike is mostly finished. We only need to keep the level we achieved to be in optimal conditions at the start.
"Once in Argentina we will have a lot more work, as we have to check that everything arrived well, check all the material and distribute it in the trucks, as well as passing the technical verifications.
"This will be the most stressing part of the race, when you are already looking forward to start but you need to focus on many other things. They are the most difficult days because you are just willing to start."
Racing besides Coma this year will be Joan Pedrero. Pedrero finished fifth overall in 2011.
"There are very few days left and everything is on its way. We completed both the physical and on bike training and now we only need to keep the level we achieved and review the rules," said Pedrero. "These days you try to have some time with your family and friends, as during the Dakar it is hard to be so many days away from them. A very important part of the race will be the final days, when we reach Peru. We will find a lot of desert, similar to the one in Africa, and it will cause the race to be very tough until the end.
"We worked a lot and we are ready. The objective is that Marc [Coma] wins the Dakar and we will try to be as close as possible."
The Dakar Rally is considered one of the toughest races in the world. You can get the basics about the 2012 Dakar here.
