Marc Coma is slowly closing the gap. The defending champion made a navigational error during the early stages of the 2012 Dakar rally that gave Cyril Despres a big lead in the front, but Coma is slowly reeling in his KTM rival.
Coma clawed back more than two minutes from Despres during the 7th stage of the Dakar and now sits 7'48" behind the leader.
"It is common knowledge that the stage before the rest day is always difficult, and today was not an exception, with stifling heat and very soft sand," Coma said. "Nevertheless, we rode very fast and I was able to attack. I gained 2 minutes on Cyril but that is obviously not enough! We know the strategy well, so we are aware that I will probably gain two minutes one day, then Cyril will gain two minutes the next... And it is hard to change this when there is but one road. Anyway, we are second in the general classification on the rest day and everything is going smoothly, so it has been a good rally for us so far."
The Dakar riders have been racing for seven days and now they will have a much needed rest day.
"I was a bit lazy today, since Marc led the race from km 200 onwards, the start of the second special, but I think that is also part of the race. So I thank him for this," Despres said. "There is always a strategic aspect, since we know we can control two-minute gaps. Having said that, I finished with my hands paralysed, but it was a really beautiful special with beautiful dunes... And it feels go to lead the race on the rest day. I am happy."
Coma is the only rider who poses a threat to Despres' 4th Dakar title. Helder Rodrigues is the next closest competitor but the Yamaha rider is 49 minutes from the Despres.
You can see a few video summaries from the 2012 Dakar rally here.
