Interview, biography and sports career What does the Dakar mean to you? "It's the par excellence race in the world of off-road racing. Its volume and the repercussion, the people it moves, the route, the countries...all of it makes it a unique and admired race, where all riders hope to participate some day." What makes it so special?"Africa and the desert have a special charm, very difficult to express in words. All those who have experienced it or who have been there can understand it, but it's difficult to explain to somebody who has never been there."
Which is the best and the worst memory you keep of all the times you've been there?"There are very good memories and I prefer to forget about the bad. The best is probably the humanity, it's a race where people help each other, there's a lot of solidarity."
Considering all you've experienced, would you say that the desert is a friend or an enemy?"You have to understand the desert. I think that if you understand it and enjoy it, it can be your friend."
Is there a difference now that you're facing the Dakar with the Raids World Championship title in your pocket? "We try to grow as riders and as persons, and the fact of having achieved the world championship title is another proof that we are on the right path. You face the Dakar with a lot more confidence and security, and not because of the title as such, but because of what it took us to get it. We're better prepared every year."
You'll be the number one rider of the team this year: advantage or inconvenience?"It makes no difference to me. Last year I already started with the aim of getting the victory. We'll try to do things the best we can, as always, and therefore the situation won't be different for me."
The stages of the Dakar are long and you often have to ride alone. What do you do to keep concentrated?"I try to focus on navigation and the final target, without getting distracted, despite spending several hours on the bike. Here's where you really notice the help of the psychological work we do."
How is the relation between you and your team-mates?"Very good. I have known Jordi Durán and Viladoms for many years. With the arrival of Viladoms we haven't lost the team spirit we had, on the contrary it helped us to keep it. We could easily say that we're family."
There's only one possible target this year..."Yes, but the Dakar is a very complicated race and it is long. There are many factors playing an important role. I'll go for all and the target is winning the race, but we all have to be very strong, because there are thousands of things that may happen."
Who do you think will be your main rival? Which are their weakest points?"Cyril Després is the winner of last year's race, so he'll be the man to be beaten, but there are other riders to be taken into account, who are highly qualified to clinch the victory. I'll keep their weakest point to myself."
What would you highlight as a personal quality of yours?"I like to get on well with everybody, I'm a man of my word and I always try to respect the others." Biography and sports career Date of birth: October 7, 1976Place of birth: Avià (Barcelona)Place of residence: Avià (Barcelona)
Best Results
1995: Spanish over 175 cc Junior Enduro CHAMPIONSpanish over 175 cc Junior Enduro CHAMPION by makes1996: Silver medal Enduro World Championship by Nations1997: 4th European over 175cc Senior Enduro Championship1998: Runner-up Spanish 125cc Senior Enduro ChampionshipEnduro under 23 WORLD CHAMPIONEnduro WORLD CHAMPION by Nations1999: 2nd overall Memorial Toni Soler12th Enduro 250cc Senior World Championship2000: 3rd Spanish 600cc Senior Enduro Championship10th 600cc Senior Enduro World Championship3rd Enduro World Championship by Nations2nd Enduro Indoor BarcelonaWinner 600cc Senior Enduro de las Autonomías2001: Runner-up Spanish 600cc Senior Enduro Championship9th Enduro World Championship3rd World Championship by Nations2002: Debut in the Rally Arras-Madrid-Dakar (best class. 6th)1st overall Memorial Toni Soler2nd Baja España AragónRunner-up Spanish 600cc Senior Enduro Championship (6th Scratch)2003: 11th overall Dakar 2003Participation in the Rally of Egypt2004: Participation in the Dakar 2004. Retired6th Rally Sardinia2nd Rally Tunisia2nd Morocco Rally1st Baja España Aragón7th Raid World Cup2005: Runner-up Rally Barcelona-Dakar1st Rally Sardinia1st Rally de las Pampas, Argentina2nd Orpi Rally Morocco1st Rally des Pharaons, Egypt2nd UAE Desert Challenge, DubaiCross Country Rally World Champion
Three years ago an intruder slipped into the Dakar elite. He was a beginner. An unknown name for the "Africans", although the Spanish Enduro scene already knew Marc Coma's talent. On an experimental motorbike called CSV, sponsored by Carlos Sotelo, Coma finished the muddy European prologues in sixth place. In Africa he managed to keep himself among the top twenty, and the day his bike broke down, he was making the tenth fastest time of the stage.
The following year, in 2003, within the official KTM structure, having Nani Roma and Isidre Esteve as team-mates and with the support of Repsol YPF, Coma got his first chance to race a Dakar with adequate means and he didn't waste it. Riding his single-cylinder and in the middle of a pack full of fast and powerful twin-cylinder bikes, Coma more than achieved his objective finishing the Dakar in eleventh position with four third places in different stages.
Marc Coma, motorbike rider from his youngest years, had racing background at home. His father, Ricard, managed to finish fifth at the Spanish Senior Motocross Championship. There was always a motorbike at home. Both his father and his uncle were big fans and it finally went over to little Marc. The first bike he rode was a Montesa Cota 348 under the guidance of his uncle and at the age of eight. While he was still learning, Marc used every moment of inattentiveness of his uncle to get on the Cota and disappear on the mountain tracks around his home.
After his uncle's trial bike he got his own one, a Puch Cobra 74 with which he had his first "races" with friends in his hometown. Then, and always subject to good grades at school, he got a motocross Honda CR 125, with which he began to take part in his first real races. These first races were followed by regional championships, county championships and finally the national championships. He dedicated himself to this speciality until the age of 18 but Marc didn't see his future on circuits, so before giving up to look for a job he thought to try luck in Enduro. Marc had already made up his mind and wanted to try to become a professional rider.
From that moment on Marc focussed on Enduro and the first victories and sporting successes arrived quickly. In 1995, Coma became Spanish Junior Champion in the Over 175cc class on a 250cc KTM. After that title, Marc joined the National Enduro Team and got the silver medal at the Enduro World Championship of the following year. That result was followed by several other brilliant results in the years to come, such as the fourth place in the European Senior Enduro Championship, the under 23 Enduro World Championship, the Enduro World Championship for Nations and a third place in the Enduro World Championship for Nations.
But the Dakar had already drawn his attention and in 2002, Carlos Sotelo, former Dakar rider, offered Marc the chance to ride a bike that had been built by Sotelo himself, the CSV with a Suzuki single-cylinder engine, at the Arras-Madrid-Dakar. As long as the bike and the mechanical parts survived, Marc lived an incredible experience and even managed to clinch a sixth place in one of the initial stages. He couldn't finish the race, but the Dakar had already got him. That same season he tried luck at the Baja Aragón and in his first participation finished second.
In 2003 Marc got back to the Dakar, this time on a KTM with Nani Roma and Isidre Esteve. Despite competing on a single cylinder and breaking his wrist on one of the last days of the rally, Coma reached Dakar in eleventh place, an excellent result considering his little experience in this race. As a reward for his performance, Marc Coma had the chance to be back at the Dakar 2004 with the same team and team-mates. He was being the perfect squid for Joan Roma and Isidre Esteve, but five stages before the end of the race, he suffered a heavy crash, where his bike hit him on his head. Coma lost consciousness for some instants but fortunately the initial alarm gave way to relief after the medical check revealed that there were no serious injuries but a strong hit on the head and on his right wrist. And relief gave way to helplessness, because it meant the end of his participation in the big African raid.
With the firm objective of continuing with his learning process, Marc Coma had a brilliant start of the 2004 season at the Raids World Cup. Marc finished second overall in the first round staged in Tunisia, with three stage victories in his private account. He was second again in Morocco and together with his team-mate Isidre Esteve took a historical one-two finish for the Repsol KTM Team, stepping on the two highest steps of the podium. Coma took part in the Sardinia Rally, finishing on a meritorious sixth place, preparing his participation in the Baja Aragón. And that preparation together with the excellent shape of the young rider turned out to be essential, because he managed to take the victory of the prestigious race for the first time in his sports career. But not everything would be joy. He was on his way to finish second at the Rally of Egypt, but the sudden death of Richard Sainct made all KTM riders decide to retire from the race as a tribute. The last race of the Championship didn't benefit Marc either because, despite winning two of the four stages, the rear wheel shaft of his bike broke, hindering him from fighting for the victory of the Arab Emirates' raid. Marc was finally seventh overall ins the Raids World Cup.
In constant progression, Marc Coma proved to be fast and reliable throughout the 2004 season, two essential requirements to be ready to fight for the Dakar 2005. And Marc faced it with a clear idea in mind: making up for the previous year. However, this target made him only get obsessed and he never managed to ride calm, clearly measuring the risks he was taking. He led the race on several occasions and although he would have agreed to the result before the start right away, in the end, the second place didn't feel enough. It did not reflect all he had done in the race, all he could have done and all he had suffered. Coma had a superb performance and could have won the race. He was capable and very self-secure, no crash, taking good care of the bike and following the plan step by step. Unfortunately he was faced with little mishaps, such as running out of fuel three kilometres before the refuelling. He was able to continue thanks to his team-mate Gio Sala, but lost some valuable minutes. The cancellation of legs that could have been favourable to him and especially the death of "El Carni" and Meoni touched him, although he was always among the top.
In his fourth participation in the Dakar, this natural and extroverted enduro rider made one of his dreams come true, although there were several other targets to achieve. Already consolidated as one of the best riders worldwide, Marc Coma faced the 2005 Cross Country Rally World Championship in high spirits and was also looking forward to other national and international races. Mechanical problems hindered him from finishing the "Nevada McMillin 1000" and the Baja España Aragón, but he ended up taking the victory of the prestigious Sardinia Rally. He participated in four of the seven scoring rounds of the World Championship. He won two, the Rally de las Pampas in Argentina and Rally des Pharaons in Egypt; he finished second in the ORPI Rally Morocco and had to retire from the Rally Dos Sertoes in Brazil while clearly leading the race. He reached the last round in Dubai leading the standings and when it seemed that luck was turning him the back causing him again problems with the battery he had already suffered in Egypt, he finally managed to finish second at the UAE Desert Challenge and to clinch his first world title. A fair and deserved reward for his efforts and sacrifice.
This season and at the young age of 28 years, the Spaniard has become a reference rider in raids. The experience and maturity he has gathered will surely help him to face his main target with guarantees: the 2006 Dakar Rally, where he will arrive in top personal and physical shape.
