RALLY ROCKETSHIP
The Dakar Rally is without doubt the pinnacle of off-road motorcycle sport. It’s the Formula 1 of dirtbike racing with crazy, unobtainable vehicles and heroic, legendary riders doing obscene things at ridiculous speeds in the name of the ultimate challenge.
Bike sport doesn’t get any bigger than Dakar. It’s a race that reaches heights of fame that motocross, enduro, extreme and any other form of bike racing can only imagine — it’s genuinely renowned across the world.
As a tester of many bikes, things don’t come any bigger, cooler or more exciting than Marc Coma’s 2014 race-winning machine. This is like Mercedes phoning you up to take Hamilton’s car for a trip to the shops. This is cool as hell.
STAYING ON TOP
KTM dominates Dakar. The company’s the absolute king of the desert. It wasn’t always that way, but 20-odd years of racing Dakar have put KTM in a position where it knows exactly what needs to happen to win.
And there are few riders that can claim the legendary status of Spaniard Marc Coma. He competed in 12 Dakar Rallies, winning it an incredible five times, and he somewhat casually has six world championships under his belt as well.
He was the Spanish enduro champion before he turned to rally, where he first raced Dakar in 2002 for the Suzuki team. Although he didn’t finish that year, he caught the eye of KTM along the way and was signed for the very next year.
His battles with Cyril Despres
