Marc Coma out of Dakar 2013

Updated: 24 November 2014

Dakar legend Marc Coma has announced in a press conference today that he will not race the 2013 Dakar.

The three time winner is still suffering the effects of a high speed crash during Rally Maroc in October where he sustained a badly dislocated left shoulder.

Despite extensive rehabilitation the 36 year old Spaniard has been unable to get back to the fitness levels required to not only race the Dakar, but fulfil his goal of winning the arduous event.

He said: “I am sorry to everybody, but I will come back again, but for this race if I can’t fight for the win, I don’t race”

Coma’s absence is a massive blow for the event which has already seen two of Honda’s factory team withdraw from the race after Brit Sam Sunderland and Brazilian Felipe Zanol sustained injuries in testing last month.

The 2013 Dakar kicks of on 5th January 2013. MCN will be in South America covering the race providing news and in depth stories in MCN and online.

By Michael Guy

Sports Editor - If you’re looking for sport insight that’s got its finger firmly on the pulse and gets to the very heart of the action with the fattest contacts book in bike sport (rather than simply relying on watching TV coverage and hoovering up what other people are saying on social media) – then Michael is your, erm, ‘guy’.