Baja 500 - Despres rode to second place
	KTM 690 Baja

In what is essentially a living laboratory situation, Coma and his support team from KTM want to establish just how the specially modified Baja machine, driven by the new LC4 engine, can perform in conditions quite different to those usually encountered. Earlier this year, the LC4 engine came through the ultimate test in the Dakar 2007 with flying colours. It celebrated its release onto the market in 2007 in the new KTM 690 Supermoto.
 
The Baja Aragon is known for being both hot and dusty and Hans Trunkenpolz, KTM Rally Team Manager says the conditions are quite different to other similar races. "Here there are not so many corrugations on the surface of the road and it is quite sandy," he said. "We are testing the 690 Baja for its suitability in such races, particularly the Baja 1000. It is a bigger cubic capacity machine. It is more stable and has a modified more streamlined tank to go the distance. In these conditions we have to do all the required servicing, maintenance and tyre changes during the race, so it is a very good way of testing both the security and the reliability of the bike over the four day competition."
 
The Baja Aragon has mostly been won in recent years on a modified version of the KTM Racing 540ccm machine, Hans Trunkenpolz said. He also confirmed that KTM rider Isidre Esteve, who has won the race a number of times, and who was tragically was paralysed in a race in Spain earlier in the year would be a co-commentator of the 2007 race.
 
"We want to congratulate Isidre on being mentally strong and we are happy that he will be present at the race in this capacity," he said.
 
KTM's object in choosing to thoroughly test the machine in actual race conditions is in keeping with its "Ready to Race" policy of producing motorcycles that answer all the requirements of top quality racing.  With this in mind, Coma, a leading factory rider for KTM will not be taking any unnecessary risks in the 1000 km, non-stop race through the spectacular landscapes of the semi desert areas of Aragon. Coma's personal focus is and remains the legendary Dakar in January. A certain favourite going into the last day of the word's toughest rally in 2007, he then crashed and had to concede defeat to KTM's Cyril Despres in the final stages.
 
KTM also raced for the first time this year in the Baja 500, a shortened version of the Baja 1000 classic on the Baja peninsular in Mexico. Despres rode the 690 Baja to second place on the first occasion that KTM had competed in the desert race.
 
Trunkenpolz cautiously underlined that KTM was not a favourite for the Aragon race. "But when we don't have any crashes or defects, we are sure that we can register a good result," he said.