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TAL MUREEB, ABU DHABI (UAE): BMW X-raid’s Guerlain Chicherit and Spaniard Marc Coma controlled proceedings at the end of a punishing 296.75-km desert loop stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, around the Tal Mureeb bivouac in Abu Dhabi, on Tuesday.
Coma sped past four-time champion Cyril Despres to hold an unofficial lead of 1m 25s in the motorcycle section at the end of the second of five legs of this opening round of both the 2009 FIM Cross-Country World Championship and FIA World Cup.
“Today was the first day in the big dunes and the real desert,” said Coma. “I am glad to be here with no real problems and we can see tomorrow where we lie and what we will do.”
The revelation of the day was South African rider Sean Gaugain who won the stage outright and now leads the 450cc class moved up from eighth to fourth overall.
He was delighted with his maiden stage win at this level: “I did not expect to win today and I will enjoy the moment. I pushed hard at the start and relaxed a little in the middle and had a couple of small crashes. But it was not easy and I am now looking forward to leading the way into the next stage.”
The UAE’s Obaid Echtibi topped the quad section on the day, but British rider James West crashed out of the stage lead after the first checkpoint and sustained a fractured right femur.
The treacherous soft sand and high temperatures played havoc with entrants lower down the field and numerous drivers and riders lost time in the sand bowls, while negotiating the notorious dunes.
Low-lying fog was prevalent at the start of the second loop stage and the action was delayed for 75 minutes on safety grounds. Despres planned to push from the outset to try and extend his overall lead over Coma, but it is never easy to extend an advantage from the front and the Spaniard was 1m 39s quicker than his French rival at the first passage control (PC) to take a virtual overall lead.
West and Gaugain were the early front-runners, as the stage meandered through the treacherous sand dunes and along the narrow, winding Bedouin trails that make the loop stages of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge so demanding.
But West fell shortly after the opening PC and broke his right leg. Despres duly reduced Coma’s virtual stage lead to 1m 20s, although Gaugain was the fastest rider on the stage through the third checkpoint at 160 kms and maintained a sensational pace through the closing kilometres to record a memorable stage win.
A medical update on quad rider Mohammed Al Shamsi revealed that the UAE rider sustained four broken vertebrae and a fractured rib in Monday’s fall, although there is no neurological damage and he is expected to make a full recovery.
The 2009 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge has the backing of key players, including the event's title sponsor, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), Nissan, ADNOC, Beach Rotana - Abu Dhabi, etisalat, Explorer, Hertz, Lambda Electronics, Oasis Water, TAG Heuer and the ADIMSC.
Leg 2 Top-5
1. Sean Gaugain (ZA) Honda CRF 450X - 4h 24m 24s
2. Pal-Anders Ullesvalseter (N) KTM 690 R - 4h 28m 53s
3. Jakub Przygonski (PL) KTM 690 R - 4h 30m 29s
4. Marc Coma (E) KTM 690 R - 4h 30m 36s
5. Cyril Despres (F) KTM 690 R - 4h 32m 34s
Overall Top-5 After Leg 2
1. Marc Coma (E) KTM 690 R - 7h 26m 12s
2. Cyril Despres (F) KTM 690 R - 7h 27m 37s
3. Pal-Anders Ullesvalseter (N) KTM 690 R - 7h 30m 29s
4. Sean Gaugain (ZA) Honda CRF 450X - 7h 42m 42s
5. Dave McBride (GB) Honda CRF 450 X - 7h 45m 42s
6. Jakub Przygonski (PL) KTM 690 R - 7h 47m 40s
