Marc Coma, the reigning world champion, rubberstamped his two-wheeled superiority once morre, the enigmatic Spaniard clinching a third consecutive bikes category title in the 2011 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – the opening round of the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship and second round of the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup.
Having led for the majority of the off-road rally, the Spanish KTM Factory Team rider and reigning Dakar Rally champion steered his powerful KTM 450 across the finish line to complete a resounding fifth Abu Dhabi victory in an overall time of 18hours 28minutes.
Coma finished five minutes ahead of Yamaha Factory Team’s Portuguese rider, Helder Rodrigues, on a Yamaha WK-450F, while the Spaniard’s Polish teammate, Jakub Przygonski, finished third on another KTM 450.