Coma didn't he do well. Dakar 2014

[moto al]

The winner top man

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[Simon_100]

Hi Al,

Couldn't agree more. But let's not forget the other Catalan rider, Laia Sanz - OK, she's my heart throb but she did come in 17th - ahead of rather a lot of meaty men :laugh:

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Regs

Simon

PS and fellow Catalan Nani Roma

[Mike54]

On a Honda though, not a Gas Gas

[Ruiz]

... and I believe she did 16th

[-Ralph-]

So what went wrong for Despres this year? Bike just not as good as the KTM?

[Mike54]

blow by blow reports on advrider, Ralph B)

Interestingly, Despres and Pain were the only ones in the top 5 not to have an engine change. Despres had an hour penalty for missing a waypoint, also had an iritrack bracket problem which he had to stop and sort.

eta - mistake there. Rodrigues (Honda, 5th), also no engine change

[moto al]

A couple more.al

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[Aidan1150]

PS and fellow Catalan Nani Roma

Who wouldn't have won but for team orders. What a feckin sham that was.

[Mike54]

This should get the blood going. For Laia fans, you see her at 2:28. At 3:26 you see despres cresting the dune and passing coma who'd fallen at the top, it was cyrils 2nd shot at the climb

[video width=425 height=344 type=youtube]IOTun6axgLk[/video]

[-Ralph-]

Team orders were a total fraud.

If the aim was to have three Minis on the podium then Peterhansel and Al Attayah didn't need to let Roma past, it just would have been three Mini's in a different order! BUT that wouldn't have been as contraversial and got as many headlines would it!!

I know no publicity is bad publicity, but sacrifing sportsmanship in order to pull this marketing stunt makes me want to sell my Mini, not buy another one.

I think its only for the personal relationship between Roma and Peterhansel that he let it happen and obeyed the team orders. Otherwise he'd probably have said 'screw you', won the race, and driven for a different team next year (which I bet will be the case anyway).

I was so hoping De Villiers could have got the third podium spot just to piss off Mini.