Special Motorsports Event - Dakar Stage 1 Results - Bikes

Reigning Dakar Champion, Marc Coma, won Stage Two of 2012 Dakar Rally, which propelled him to the overall lead.

After taking second in Stage One behind Francisco "Chaleco" Lopez, the Spaniard Coma won the 17th stage victory of his career on Monday, Jan. 2. He posted a 3.07:21 in Stage Two, which took the motorcycle field 182 miles from Santa Roas to San Rafael, Argentina.

Following 1:18 behind was Coma's Red Bull KTM teammate, the Frenchman Cyril Despres. Taking third in Stage 2 was Spain's Barreda Bort aboard a Husqvarna, 2:33 behind three-time Dakar winner Coma.

The top American in Stage Two was once again Quinn Cody on the JCR Honda CR450; the No. 9 rider reported had to stop for several minutes earlier in the day, letting almost 20 minutes slip by. He finished Stage Two in 24th place, 19:55 behind Coma.

As for one of the other top USA competitors, Touratech Yamaha's Jonah Street, he had mechanical problems 145 miles into Stage Two. In its Live Feed, Dakar reports "The American has ground to a halt after 234 km and has signaled that he cannot repair his Yamaha alone. It looks likely that he may have to abandon the race..."

With his dominating Stage Two victory, Coma moves into the first position in overall standings; he now has a time of 3:40:12, which is 2:30 ahead of Stage One winner Lopez, and 2:52 ahead of Despres.

Marc Coma (MRW Red Bull AMV KTM 450 Rally) says: "A good day for me! The start of the special was very fast today. Chaleco and me were riding at top speed and let me tell you, the Aprilia is very, very quick. After that, we arrived at the second part of the special with sand and dunes. It was a lot more technical, with some navigation to do as well. I took the lead and kept riding at a good pace. I'm happy because I didn't get lost. So, it's been a good day for me!"

Francisco "Chaleco" Lopez (Team Aprilia RSX) says: "For the moment, I'm not thinking about the general standings. I opened the road until the 240 km point, with Marc following me, but then when we got to the dunes, he overtook me. I found it a bit difficult to follow, because I had a problem with my GPS aerial and I'm also quite tired. But these first two days of racing were important for me, to see how I am physically. I'm happy to have reached the finishing line. For the moment, I'm not thinking about the general standings, but I think there was a lot to lose today, because the special was very long and tricky."

Cyril Despres (Red Bull KTM 450 Rally) says: "The first special was a good warm-up and this second special has done my confidence good... It was a good day overall. There was a bit of dust this morning overtaking, but most of the riders gave me enough room to pass, so I'd like to thank them. As for the second part of the special, it wasn't as easy on sand that was quite soft. All in all though, it was a pretty good day."