De Baar finished in the top five

6.1.2023

Pascal de Baar finished in the elite five in the 5th stage of the Dakar Rally. The Dutch pilot of a North Bohemian truck recorded the second best result of the year in the legendary competition. More great news came to the bivouac. Gert Huzink was additionally recognized as the winner of the 3rd stage.

"We have really mixed feelings here. Gert thought of himself as a moral winner of Tuesday's stage and today came the final confirmation that he really was the winner. We know we have what it takes to fight for the top spots, but luck is not on our side. Gert was racing for another victory on Wednesday, but the machinery betrayed us so much that he was unable to participate in the stage on Thursday, because we no longer have the appropriate spare part. We are doing everything possible and the impossible and we are trying to secure it so that we can race again as soon as possible and go for another stage win," admitted designer Mario Kress when he was explaining why Gert Huzink's truck did not start the 5th stage.

Otherwise, the fifth day at the Dakar was literally all about the number 5 – the fifth stage, on the fifth of January, fifth place and five minutes missing from the winning Aleš Loprais – this was the results of another North Bohemian truck pilot, Pascal de Baar. The rider of the Riwald Dakar team proved that not only he himself feels strong in the dunes, but his race Renault truck from the MKR Technology workshop in Chvalín is strong as well. Thursday's stage was largely driven on sand and dunes, and de Baar was not too far from the podium. “Today it was dunes with sharp climbs where you need to drive in one go, otherwise you have to go back and take it around. We did well there. The others are just a little bit better than us on those slanted fast roads," commented Pascal de Baar.

The crews had to manage a total of almost six hundred kilometers long loop, which started and ended at the bivouac in Ha'il. The Czech crew with pilot Aleš Loprais was the fastest rider on three hundred and seventy kilometer long timed section. Pascal de Baar was just five minutes behind him. A quick assist with Adwin Hoondert was classified as twentieth truck.

It was Aleš Loprais who reinforced his lead with his first place, Adwin Hoondert is eighteenth and Pascal de Baar is two positions down the ranking.

Friday's 6th stage was originally supposed to lead from Ha'il to Al Duwadimi, and with a total original length of 877 kilometers, it was supposed to be the longest stage of this year's race. But the bivouac here is so soaked that the race field will avoid it completely and move straight to Riyadh. Therefore, the organizers had to modify the program of the sixth and seventh day due to heavy rains. Friday's stage will be shortened by about one hundred kilometers, and Saturday's 7th stage will be completed by the crews on the route, which was originally planned as the 8th stage, and further decisions will be made according to the weather and current conditions. In the meantime, the technicians of the MKR Technology team will do their best so that Gert Huzink's truck can take part in the next stage as soon as possible.