He is one of the superstars of the sport, a five-time winner of the gruelling Dakar Rally and a six-time Cross-Country Rallies World Championship winner.
Yet, he had no qualms about getting on the back of a motocross bike and making a first appearance at a domestic event such as the recently-concluded Emirates Desert Championship.
For Spaniard Marc Coma, who has been competing on motorbikes for more than two decades, the lure of riding in the desert is too much to resist.
“I love the desert,” says Coma, 27, who has been in the UAE for the past couple of weeks to prepare for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the opening stage of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship that will be held here from March 27 to April 2.
“In the desert there are no half measures. You can say that you like the desert ‘a little bit’, or do not like it ‘a little bit’ – you either love the deserts or you hate them. If you are in the desert for the first time, you will realise very quickly if you are in the wrong place.”
Coma, of course, has never felt out of place in the desert on his bike. His Dakar triumphs testify to that, and so do his success in Abu Dhabi and the Cross-Country Rallies – the Spaniard has won the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge seven times in the past nine years on his KTM bike.
“There are very big dunes, huge dunes,” Coma says of the attraction of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. “Only here we can find this condition, big area, like almost all the country are dunes. The Empty Quarter is a fantastic place for a rally race.
“The conditions we find in the Empty Quarter always are very hard. The temperature is very high – it’s like cooking our bikers, you know. So we have to take care, but rally is a tough sport so conditions have to be like that.”
And Coma says that is the reason he has chosen this career.
“I like motorsport and I like to be in the desert,” he says. “If you like both things, rally is the right sport.”
That love took roots early, even before Coma had seen a desert. Probably tales he heard from his father and uncle, two great motorcycle enthusiasts, intrigued him and the youngster was obsessed about riding in those vast, empty, inhospitable lands.
Coma says he remembers sneaking out of the house on a Montesa Cota 348 when he was about eight years old and riding in the mountain tracks around Avia, a small municipality in the province of Barcelona.
At the age of 12, he got his own bike: a Puch Cobra 74. It was reward for “good results in the school”, Coma says. “Of course, I played football because in Spain everybody plays football, but I am not a talent for that.
“My father was in two wheelers and is still riding in the motocross vintage races in Spain. So in my house, two wheels are present all the time.
“But my father never pushed me to be a rider, or to be involved in the sport. It was my decision and for this, I have to say, thanks to him.”
Determined to make a name for himself, Coma started competing in the national and world enduro championships in 1995.
In 2002, he made his first appearance at the Dakar, the “Tour de France” of motorbikes according to him, aboard an unproven Suzuki-CSV and immediately caught the attention of KTM. Four years later, he won his first Dakar title and has added the 2009, 2011, 2014 and 2015 crowns to his CV.
Only Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel, with six Dakar titles on the bike, has won more.
Coma still gets the buzz from spending hours aboard his bike in the often unforgiving wilderness, and he is even considering following in the footsteps of his KTM teammate Sam Sunderland and moving base to the UAE.
“It is something that I have to consider honestly because here you have everything,” Coma says. “The desert is here also. So I have to consider that. I cannot say ‘yes’, but it is something I have to keep in mind to take the right decision.
“But always when I come here, I feel comfortable and I like the people, friendly. Really, I feel good.”
arizvi@thenational.ae
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
TOUR DE FRANCE INFO
Dates: July 1-23
Distance: 3,540km
Stages: 21
Number of teams: 22
Number of riders: 198
RACE CARD
4.30pm: Maiden Dh80,000 1,400m
5pm: Conditions Dh80,000 1,400m
5.30pm: Liwa Oasis Group 3 Dh300,000 1,400m
6pm: The President’s Cup Listed Dh380,000 1,400m
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Group 2 Dh300,000 2,200m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (30-60) Dh80,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Handicap (40-70) Dh80,000 1,600m.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh960,000
Engine 3.9L twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Power 661hp @8,000rpm
Torque 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.4L / 100k
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Five healthy carbs and how to eat them
Brown rice: consume an amount that fits in the palm of your hand
Non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli: consume raw or at low temperatures, and don’t reheat
Oatmeal: look out for pure whole oat grains or kernels, which are locally grown and packaged; avoid those that have travelled from afar
Fruit: a medium bowl a day and no more, and never fruit juices
Lentils and lentil pasta: soak these well and cook them at a low temperature; refrain from eating highly processed pasta variants
Courtesy Roma Megchiani, functional nutritionist at Dubai’s 77 Veggie Boutique
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY
Starting at 10am:
Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang
Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)
Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)
Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera
Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
