The penultimate round of the 2015 Dakar Rally, Stage 12 is really the last chance for the riders to shuffle around in the standings, as Saturday’s closing stage has only a 174 km time special stage, and thus won’t give many opportunity.
As such, Stage 12 saw Marc Coma managing his pace, so as not to stress his KTM 450 Rally race bike, but yet keep HRC’s Paulo Goncalves at bay.
This left KTM-support rider Toby Price to win the stage. The Australian is used to desert racing, is racing his second rally-raid, and this is his first ride as a KTM-supported rider. Price has certainly been impressing the Austrians, as he sits a comfortable third in the overall rankings after today.
“At this stage everything is just feeling good. We’re enjoying it, so it’s been a good experience. There have been a lot of highs and lows and good learning curves as well as a few mistakes, but we’re trying to fix them as best as we can and get to the finishing line,” said Price.
“Hopefully, that will happen tomorrow. I always knew it was going to be difficult, but you don’t know until you actually come here and have a go. Then you find out how hard it really is.”
Trailing behind Price was Joan Barreda, who has been so strong for the HRC squad, sans his crash which cost him a handlebar. Finishing third was Paulo Goncalves, who could only claw back six and-a-half minutes of Coma’s overall lead.
“Well, only one stage left to go. I had to take it calmly because it was a long and very slippery special,” said Goncalves. “I’m really pleased with the way that it went, as it allows me to hold second place and fight for a good place on the podium. But we’ve got to stay focused to not make any serious mistakes. Anything can happen on the final day.”
With Coma showing the pace, an HRC win will require some sort of penalty or racing incident to befall the Spanish KTM rider. A veteran of The Dakar though, Coma is unlikely to make those kind of mistakes, and looks secure in winning his fifth Dakar Rally.
“There was a lot to lose so it was important not to make any mistakes or crash. It is not easy to find the balance to ride like that but I am happy we are here. Today the tires were wearing a lot so I took care about that at the beginning of the special,” said Marc Coma.
“I felt a bit fresher on the last part and made a good pace to the end. There are still some kilometers left, but the end is getting closer now. The conditions are always very tough all the time. The young riders are pushing a lot, so I have to use my energy. We spend all year preparing to arrive here in a good shape, so it’s time to spend that energy.”
Top 10 from Stage 12 – Termas Rio Hondo to Rosario – of the 2015 Dakar Rally:
| Pos. | Rider | Country | Brand | Time |
| 1 | PRICE | AUS | KTM | 03:19:04 |
| 2 | BARREDA BORT | ESP | HONDA | +01:55 |
| 3 | GONCALVES | PRT | HONDA | +03:02 |
| 4 | JAKES | SVK | KTM | +03:08 |
| 5 | SVITKO | SVK | KTM | +05:01 |
| 6 | COMA | ESP | KTM | +06:25 |
| 7 | RODRIGUES | PRT | HONDA | +08:40 |
| 8 | QUINTANILLA | CHL | KTM | +10:07 |
| 9 | VERHOEVEN | NLD | YAMAHA | +10:51 |
| 10 | SANZ PLA-GIRIBERT | ESP | HONDA | +12:42 |
Overall Top 10 of the 2015 Dakar Rally:
| Pos. | Rider | Country | Brand | Time | Penalty |
| 1 | COMA | ESP | KTM | 45:08:32 | - |
| 2 | GONCALVES | PRT | HONDA | +17:49 | +16:00 |
| 3 | PRICE | AUS | KTM | +25:18 | - |
| 4 | QUINTANILLA | CHL | KTM | +36:57 | - |
| 5 | SVITKO | SVK | KTM | +46:43 | - |
| 6 | FARIA | PRT | KTM | +01:50:39 | +40:00 |
| 7 | CASTEU | FRA | KTM | +01:55:09 | - |
| 8 | SANZ PLA-GIRIBERT | ESP | HONDA | +02:19:37 | - |
| 9 | JAKES | SVK | KTM | +02:21:29 | - |
| 10 | PAIN | FRA | YAMAHA | +03:04:21 | - |
Source: Dakar; Photo: KTM
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