Dakar is “destroying” teams in 5th stage as well

11.1.2018

Never-ending sand and hard dunes. Dakar is still beating hard all the competitors. For north-bohemian trucks designed by MKR Technology Gert Huzink is saving the situation. He has just missed the top 10 in 5th stage. Mammoet Rallysport teams are having heaps of bad luck.

            Leader of Dutch team Mammoet Rallysport, Martin van den Brink on-board technician Daniel Kozlovský from Roudnice nad Labem, did start the fifth stage. The crew in the final part of 4th stage perforated their oil tank in one of bigger jumps and then stopped in a dune, from where not even fast assistance of Janus van Kasteren could not dig them out. Thus Van den Brink did not make it in time to bivouac and then to the start line, so 40^th edition of Dakar ended for him there. “What a pity. Sometimes it takes just details. Perforated oil tank is nothing, we could not handle. When I think of what we have successfully handled in the past, this is just a tiny thing. Unfortunately the dunes were deceiving and many hopes for a successful finish ended there,” added Mario Kress, lead designer of MKR Technology team.

            Mammoet was unlucky in 5^th stage on Wednesday as well. This was the longest stage of this year. Drivers had to cover over nine hundred thirty kilometres, while timed special section was almost two hundred seventy kilometres long. Right at the beginning Janus van Kasteren stopped for three hours. He reached the finish line on twenty-first position with a gap of more than four hours on the Russian winner Nikolaev. Even Nikolaev turned his Kamaz to the side, but after receiving help from Martin Kolomý he returned quickly onto the winning wheels. Renowned Sebastian Loeb had to leave Dakar prematurely. While Gerd Huzink, driver of a special from Židovice, had twelfth time and lost forty minutes.

            In trucks overall standing Russian Nikolaev with Kamaz is leading ahead of Argentinian Villagra with Iveco. Gert Huzink is twelfth and van Kasteren is just four positions lower.

            Thursday stage has 760 kilometres, with 313 kms of timed section. The route takes Dakar from Arequipa to La Paz and drivers will leave Peru and head into Bolivia. On Friday there is well deserved day off.