Rally: Despres wins Dakar ninth stage
Defending car champion Nasser Al Attiyah was forced out of the race when his Hummer suffered more mechanical problems.
IQUIQUE:
Cyril Despres regained the upper hand in the Dakar Rally battle with motorcycle rival Marc Coma. The French KTM rider and three-time champion responded to Coma’s win on Monday, taking the 556-kilometre (km) ninth stage from Antofogasta that finished with a dramatic descent down an 800-metre high dune. Despres, who timed five hours, four minutes and 33 seconds, with defending champion Coma coming in three minutes and 54 seconds behind, replaced the Spaniard at the top of the overall rankings. Earlier, defending car champion Nasser Al Attiyah was forced out of the race when his temperamental Hummer suffered more mechanical problems.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2012.
Cyril Despres regained the upper hand in the Dakar Rally battle with motorcycle rival Marc Coma. The French KTM rider and three-time champion responded to Coma’s win on Monday, taking the 556-kilometre (km) ninth stage from Antofogasta that finished with a dramatic descent down an 800-metre high dune. Despres, who timed five hours, four minutes and 33 seconds, with defending champion Coma coming in three minutes and 54 seconds behind, replaced the Spaniard at the top of the overall rankings. Earlier, defending car champion Nasser Al Attiyah was forced out of the race when his temperamental Hummer suffered more mechanical problems.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2012.