Abu Dhabi: The five-leg Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2009 ends with Marc Coma getting the big win.
A total of 29 cars, 34 bikes, 11 quads and two trucks are tackling 1,500 kilometres of challenging desert terrain of the emirate's vast Empty Quarter. All of the latest news is below:
Published 3:08pm March 27, 2009
New video of Desert Challenge
Click here to watch the latest video of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Or go to www.gulfnews.com/gntv to watch other videos.
Abu Dhabi: Marc Coma on Friday won the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2009, while Cyril Despres took second place. Pal-Anders Ullesvalseter beat Mark Ackerman to the stage win on bikes.
Coma said he was happy to take his second win of the season after winning the Dakar Rally in January.
“It means a lot to me and I want to keep working hard and improving. Today was very difficult. The first part of the stage was in a sand storm and you could not see the dunes or the track too well,'' he said.
Coma added that the last section was faster, “but there were some difficult sand spits to deal with. I used the regulations to my advantage and now I have a win here.''
Despres said conditions on Friday did not help his game. “The regulations were not in my favour and I still don't agree with that. Marc changed his start position and both factors worked against me,'' he said.
Ackerman said he was happy with the results and his performance. “We were getting bumped around all over the place by the wind. The storm took the top crust off the surface and it was very soft in places and difficult for all the riders. It was much harder than last year's Desert Challenge. Last year was more predictable, but the weather conditions made it difficult here this week,'' he said.
In the car category, Guerlain Chicherit and Tina Thörner of the BMW X-raid team claimed victory.
Chicherit said the sand storm stopped them briefly during the competition.
"This is a great feeling to win this rally. Tina (Thörner) did a great job and the mechanics worked so hard to make sure the car was always ready for the stage every morning. This result is for my team," Chicherit said.
Leading positions on Leg 5 – Oasis special:
Bikes
1. Pal-Anders Ullesvalseter (N) KTM 690 R 3h 39m 38s
2. Mark Ackerman (ZA) KTM 450 3h 40m 21s
3. Marc Coma (E) KTM 690 R 3h 41m 37s
4. Jakub Przygonski (PL) KTM 690 R 3h 43m 36s
5. Cyril Despres (F) KTM 690 R 3h 45m 29s
6. Dave McBride (GB) Honda CRF 450 X 3h 46m 23s
7. Sean Gaugain (ZA) Honda CRF 450X 3h 47m 57s
Overall positions after Leg 5:
Bikes
1. Marc Coma (E) KTM 690 R 20h 18m 00s
2. Cyril Despres (F) KTM 690 R 20h 23m 42s
3. Pal-Anders Ullesvalseter (N) KTM 690 R 20h 25m 46s
4. Sean Gaugain (ZA) Honda CRF 450X 20h 46m 11s
5. Mark Ackerman (ZA) KTM 450 20h 50m 13s
6. Jakub Przygonski (PL) KTM 690 R 20h 50m 32s
7. Dave McBride (GB) Honda CRF 450 X 20h 58m 38s
8. Jacek Czachor (PL) KTM LC4 21h 56m 33s
9. Sébastien Husseini (NL) KTM 525 XC 22h 02m 36s*
10. Sean Linton (GB) Honda CRF 450 X 22h 11m 50s
Published 17:30; March 26, 2009
New video of Desert Challenge
Click here to watch a video from the third day of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Or go to www.gulfnews.com/gntv to see other videos.
Published 16:30; March 26, 2009
Coma takes the bike lead, Obaid Echtibi wins Quad stage
TAL MUREEB, ABU DHABI: Thursday March 26 2009: Spain's Marc Coma regained the overall lead in the motorcycle category of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, as surviving crews completed the fourth Hertz loop stage through the emirate's Empty Quarter to the south and east of Humeem on Thursday.
Coma caught his great French rival Cyril Despres in the desert and the pair raced together to the finish of the penultimate stage of the UAE's premier off-road event, which has the title sponsorship of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA).
The result sets up the prospect of a ‘winner-takes-all' showdown between the world's top two cross-country riders in the final off-road section back to Abu Dhabi on Friday. Despres will start the final stage two minutes behind his rival and will need to catch the Spaniard and close to within nine seconds at the end of the special to win the event for a record-breaking fifth time.
“It was not easy at all today,'' said Coma. “The wind was strong and the visibility was difficult for all the riders. It was a case of finding a safe pace. Tomorrow is a big day. It will decide the rally. All I can do is ride my best. If he catches me he wins. I will try to make sure that he doesn't catch me.''
BMW X-raid's Guerlain Chicherit and Swedish co-driver Tina Thörner maintained their dominance in the car category. The Frenchman produced a master-class performance on the day's 314.95km timed section to take a fifth successive stage win. The pair now head into the final stage a staggering 2hours 21minutes 42seconds in front of the second-placed Nissan Patrol crew of the UAE's Yayha Al Helai and Khalid Al Kendi.
Local quad entrant Obaid Echtibi and South African rider Sean Gaugain were the stars of the day, with Echtibi winning the stage outright on his quad and Gaugain recording second position on his Honda. Sébastien Husseini finished the day in fourth and continues to lead the quad category.
Published 16:15; March 26, 2009
Leaderboard after day three
Leading positions on Leg 4:
1. Guerlain Chicherit (F)/Tina Thörner (S) BMW X3 CC 4h 23m 42s
2. Glenn Reid (AUS)/Paul Richards (GB) Honda Buggy 4h 35m 46s
3. Ahmed Bin Soughat (UAE)/Wael Marjan (UAE) Nissan Patrol 4h 43m 58s
4. Yayha Al Helai (UAE)/Khalid Al Kendi (UAE) Nissan Patrol 4h 49m 33s
5. Ali Al Shawi (UAE)/Ahmad Malik (UAE) Nissan Patrol 5h 09m 37s
6. Abdullah Al Herais (UAE)/Haleem Bin Zayed (UAE) Nissan Patrol 5h 15m 09s
Bikes
1. Obaid Echtibi (UAE) Honda TRX 4h 19m 34s*
2. Sean Gaugain (ZA) Honda CRF 450X 4h 19m 53s
3. Jakub Przygonski (PL) KTM 690 R 4h 20m 17s
4. Sébastien Husseini (NL) KTM 525 XC 4h 21m 33s*
5. Mark Ackerman (ZA) KTM 450 4h 23m 06s
6. Pal-Anders Ullesvalseter (N) KTM 690 R 4h 23m 57s
7. Dave McBride (GB) Honda CRF 450 X 4h 25m 01s
8. Marc Coma (E) KTM 690 R 4h 25m 48s
9. Cyril Despres (F) KTM 690 R 4h 28m 00s
* denotes quad
Overall positions after Leg 4:
Cars
1. Guerlain Chicherit (F)/Tina Thörner (S) BMW X3 CC 16h 34m 39s
2. Yayha Al Helai (UAE)/Khalid Al Kendi (UAE) Nissan Patrol 18h 56m 21s
3. Abdullah Al Herais (UAE)/Haleem Bin Zayed (UAE) Nissan Patrol 19h 57m 03s
4. Ali Al Shawi (UAE)/Ahmad Malik (UAE) Nissan Patrol 21h 21m 47s
5. David Mabbs (GB)/Xavier Caminada (F) Toyota FJ Cruiser 22h 12m 59s
Bikes
1. Marc Coma (E) KTM 690 R 16h 36m 23s
2. Cyril Despres (F) KTM 690 R 16h 38m 13s
3. Pal-Anders Ullesvalseter (N) KTM 690 R 16h 45m 58s
4. Sean Gaugain (ZA) Honda CRF 450X 16h 58m 14s
5. Jakub Przygonski (PL) KTM 690 R 17h 07m 36s
6. Mark Ackerman (ZA) KTM 450 17h 09m 32s
7. Dave McBride (GB) Honda CRF 450 X 17h 12m 15s
Published 16:00; March 26, 2009
Video highlights from Day Two
Click here to watch highlights from the bikes and quads on day two of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
The day's stage was stopped at PC4 with five cars and one motorcycle still in the special stage. This was as a result of deteriorating weather conditions and the fact that the safety helicopter could not fly over the final section of the stage. The affected entrants will be granted a notional time for that section.
A sand storm has hampered visibility for the last two hours at the Tal Mureeb bivouac.
Published 08:30; March 26, 2009
Field is whittled down
Thirty-seven bikes and quads, 20 cars and one truck were granted an official start time for the fourth leg. Bikes: Youcef Cummings (8): Did not restart this morning. He completed the third stage on Wednesday and complained of shoulder pain. Medical checks revealed that he had broken his collarbone at the same location as a previous injury.
Published 17:10; March 25, 2009
Chicherit and Depres hold onto lead
BMW X-raid's Guerlain Chicherit and fellow Frenchman, Cyril Despres are the overall leaders of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2009, after the third, 340 kilometre, Nissan-backed loop stage through the emirate's Empty Quarter.
Chicherit and Swedish co-driver, Tina Thorner, extended their advantage over the UAE's Yayha Al Helai and Khalid Al Kendi to 1 hour 57 minutes 51 seconds in the car category.
This was helped when Al Helai suffered transmission problems in the latter stages of the day's punishing selective section. Chicherit admitted to suffering from ‘dune sickness' for much of this difficult stage and said that he was 'physically shattered' at the finish.
“It was a really tough job to reach the end,'' said Chicherit. “I was driving well and was pushing hard until the assistance point. Then, I started to feel a bit sick and I had a mental fight to keep it going. I think it is a combination of the heat and the motion of being, in the dunes - like being in a boat.
"The car was perfect, the mechanics did a great job and Tina (Thorner) was superb today. I was not in a good shape and she encouraged me to the finish.''
Meanwhile, four-time bike category winner, Despres managed to edge ahead of Spain's overnight leader, Marc Coma, to regain the lead he had held in the opening leg.
“I thought that Coma might have taken a little more time out of me than he did today,'' admitted Despres. “From the first 25km, I really tried to gain some time and gave a hard ride.
I have to open the road tomorrow and he will catch me. But, then I have the chance to catch him again on the final day. This is typical for the Desert Challenge. It is never easy!''
Coma remained well clear of third-placed Norwegian, Pal-Anders Ullesvalseter, with South African rider, Sean Gaugain leading the way in the 450cc class on his Honda CRF 450. The UAE's Mohammed Husseini began the day with a useful lead of over 54 minutes in the quad category and extended his advantage still further after a stunning ride to the seventh fastest time.
Published 12:21 March 24, 2009
Leading positions on Leg 3 – Nissan special
Cars
1. Guerlain Chicherit (F)/Tina Thörner (S) BMW X3 CC 5h 04m 14s
2. Ahmed Bin Soughat (UAE)/Wael Marjan (UAE) Nissan Patrol 5h 35m 47s
3. Glenn Reid (AUS)/Paul Richards (GB) Honda Buggy 5h 48m 23s
4. Abdullah Al-Herais (UAE)/Haleem Bin Zayed (UAE) Nissan Patrol 5h 51m 17s
5. Yayha Al Helai (UAE)/Khalid Al Kendi (UAE) Nissan Patrol 6h 09m 37s
Bikes
1. Cyril Despres (F) KTM 690 R 4h 42m 36s
2. Marc Coma (E) KTM 690 R 4h 44m 23s
3. Pal-Anders Ullesvalseter (N) KTM 690 R 4h 51m 32s
4. Mark Ackerman (ZA) Honda CRF 450 X 4h 53m 34s
5. Sean Gaugain (ZA) Honda CRF 450X 4h 55m 39s
6. Jakub Przygonski (PL) KTM 690 R 4h 58m 59s
7. Sébastien Husseini (UAE) KTM 525 XC 4h 59m 14s*
* denotes leading quad.
Overall positions after Leg 3:
Cars
1. Guerlain Chicherit (F)/Tina Thörner (S) BMW X3 CC 12h 10m 57s
2. Yayha Al Helai (UAE)/Khalid Al Kendi (UAE) Nissan Patrol 14h 06m 48s
3. Abdullah Al Herais (UAE)/Haleem Bin Zayed (UAE) Nissan Patrol 14h 41m 54s
Bikes
1. Cyril Despres (F) KTM 690 R 12h 10m 13s
2. Marc Coma (E) KTM 690 R 12h 10m 35s
3. Pal-Anders Ullesvalseter (N) KTM 690 R 12h 22m 01s
4. Sean Gaugain (ZA) Honda CRF 450X 12h 38m 21s
5. Jakub Przygonski (PL) KTM 690 R 12h 46m 39s
6. Dave McBride (GB) Honda CRF 450 X 12h 47m 14s
7. Mark Ackerman (ZA) Honda CRF 450 X 13h 00m 26s
Published 13:45; March 25, 2009
Happy to finish
Cars: Guerlain Chicherit (201) – “It was a really tough job to reach the finish. I was driving so well until the CP2, at the assistance, and I was pushing hard. After that I started to feel a bit sick and I had a big mental fight to keep it going. I think it is a combination of the heat and the motion of being, like in a boat, in the dunes. The car was perfect, the mechanics did a great job and Tina (Thorner) was superb today. I was not in a good shape and she encouraged me to the finish.''
Published 13:03 March 25, 2009
Dehydration and falls
Bikes: Alex Zanotti (37) - Suffering from a lack of water and severe dehydration and has received medical assistance at the scene, before being evacuated from the stage.
Khalid Al Falaisi (21) – Fell off his bike between PC4 and the finish line. He complained of abdominal and back pains and has been airlifted to Madinat Zayed hospital for medical checks.
Cars: Yayha Al-Helai (202)–“We had a problem before the fourth PC and dropped a lot of time. We struggled through the last kilometres in two-wheel drive.''
Published 11.30; March 25, 2009
Bad day for Oscar
Bikes: Oscar Polli (44): "I had a small problem with the engine and there was no power. Then, after about 25km, I had a small accident and decided it was not worth carrying on. The mechanic will fix the bike and I will start tomorrow, but it has not been a good rally for me so far."
Click here to read a summary of the action from day two
Published 10:00; March 25, 2009
Third stage under way
The third Nissan stage started as per the original time schedule, with 39 bikes and quads and 21 cars and one truck given an official start time. Cars: Ramesh Pereira (231) – His Nissan Patrol was destroyed by a fire early in the second selective section on Tuesday.
Antonio Manfrinato (217) - There was several minor collisions in the sand dunes on the second selective section on Tuesday. The Italian became stuck in a sand bowl and tried to reverse up an incline to gain speed for another attempt at scaling a sand ridge, but he was struck from behind by a Nissan Patrol and his Nissan Navara sustained superficial bodywork damage.
Published 16:00; March 24, 2009
End of day two: Quotes
Cars: Guerlain Chicherit (201): “The first 210km were very good, but then the engine put itself into ‘security mode' and we had the alarm. I stopped a couple of times, because I did not want to damage anything. It was a very hard stage and I am so glad to be here and still leading the rally. It's great experience for me to be opening the road. It doesn't happen very often. Tina (Thorner) and I are communicating much better today. There is a big improvement.''
Published 15:50; March 24, 2009
Video uploaded
Video highlights from day one of the Desert Challenge have been uploaded onto GNTV. Keep watching this page, or go to www.gulfnews.com/gntv for more.
Published 14:40; March 24, 2009
Retirements growing
Several riders and drivers struggled to pass the bowl of sand between the dunes before PC2, including Ali Al Shawi (229) and Raed Baker (206).
Bikes: Marc Coma (2) – “Today was the first day in the big dunes and the real desert. I am glad to be here with no real problems and we can see tomorrow where we lie and what we will do.''
Cyril Despres (1) – “I sort of expected Marc (Coma) to close the gap today. The delay this morning with the fog did not help. I did not start well and had a small headache until the refuelling. I was not 100% today. Losing one hour or so this morning meant that the sand was soft and not easy.''
Pal-Anders Ullesvalseter (3) – “I am happy. I managed to catch Marc (Coma) and Cyril (Despres). It was not an easy stage and the sand dunes were difficult to read.''
Sean Gaugain (22) – “I did not expect to win today. 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 not looking forward to leading the way into the stage tomorrow. I will enjoy the moment though. This is my first stage win on this scale. It is a good feeling.''
Cars: Nabil Al Shamsi (227) – Retired from the stage and returned to the Tal Mureeb bivouac.
Published 11.30; March 24, 2009
Day two delayed
Low-lying fog forced the stage start to be delayed by 75 minutes on safety grounds.
Mohammed Al Shamsi (52) is stable and recovering in hospital after his fall on Monday. He sustained four broken lumbar vertebrae and one broken right rib in the incident. There is no neurological damage and Mohammed is expected to make a full recovery. The organizers wish Mohammed a speedy recovery.
James West (3) led the bike category at PC1, but fell shortly after the passage control. He received swift medical attention at the scene and was transferred by helicopter to hospital in Madinat Zayed. He sustained a broken right femur, just above the knee.
Published 15:15; March 23, 2009
Day one leaderboard
Day one: Monday, March 23, 2009, 3.15pm
BMW X-raid's top-seeded, Guerlain Chicherit and Frenchman, Cyril Despres led the car and motorcycle categories after the opening 442.30km leg of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, This included a 270.60km desert special stage into Abu Dhabi's Empty Quarter where it was reported that strong winds hampered visibility (Monday March 23 2009).
Despres, riding a factory KTM 690 R, finished the selective section 41 seconds clear of his arch Spanish rival Marc Coma, as the event reached the Tal Mureeb bivouac. Norway's Pal-Anders Ullesvalseter headed Dubai-based Briton, Dave McBride in third overall.
Quotes from competitors after stage one:
Cars: Glenn Reid (211): “I am pretty happy with the day's result, but we had a transmission problem on the stage and I had to change from second to fourth for the last 80kms. I was also worried because we were running low on fuel.''
Ricardo Leal dos Santos (210): “Not a bad day at all. It was not a day of big dunes, but it was a good stage to get back into the feel of the desert. We rebuilt the car after the Dakar, so I wanted to take it steady early on and then build up as the week goes on.''
Published 14:10; March 23, 2009
Quotes from competitors
Bikes: Cyril Despres (1): “A stage win is always nice, but I have noticed a difference with the desert since I was here in November. The sand is a different colour and the dunes are ‘more red'. It is amazing what can happen in a few months. It was a strategy to start at the back today. I managed to hit the gatch road first after the refuelling and passed Marc. Then it was a case of riding fast to the finish. Tomorrow will be another game, with him following me.''
Marc Coma (2): “It was not a big day of sand dunes, but it was the first day in the desert and a 270km special. There is a long way to go and we will have another good fight tomorrow.''
Pal-Anders Ullesvalseter (3): “It was not a real problem for me today. The wind was useful. It kept away any problems with dust.''
Jakub Przygonski (6): “It was a very quick stage. I am happy with my position, because I started third on the road this morning and I was first through the passage control and was able to reach the finish first. I feel like a bit of a hero to reach the stage finish before anyone else. I had a small problem with my road book motor. The page was torn and I had to stop for a couple of minutes to fix it.''
Cars: Guerlain Chicherit (201): “I am very happy to get the first desert stage out of the way with a good lead. It was not easy. It was my first stage with Tina (Thorner). She is very good, but I have had pace notes in French for many years and, a couple of times, I heard the wrong note in English and made a small mistake. But, we have four more days to get used to each other."
Published 12:55; March 23, 2009
UAE rider suffers bad accidentStrong winds, shifting sand and reduced visibility in the early kilometres around Abu Dhabi and the stage start.
Mohammed Al Shamsi (52) – Had a nasty fall at the 108km point, shortly before PC1, and has a suspected back injury. The UAE rider has been airlifted by helicopter to Mafraq hospital for medical treatment.
Rafal Sonik (61) – Fell heavily and has been airlifted by a media helicopter for medical treatment to a broken wrist.
