He won a trip to rally and the elation has not worn off yet
26.10.2015
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He spent days and nights in sand and dust, ran around in a dirty overall, had to deal with exhaustion, strain and stress of a professional mechanic, but all of that allowed him to experience the joy of victory and the euphory that comes in the finish when the race is over and you have a firm belief that you were the best in the field. Tomáš Sova was one of the two lucky guys to whom Renault Trucks gave the opportunity to become members of MKR Technology and Mammoet Rallysport in the golden OiLibya Rally in Morocco, where the Dakar special from the Czech Republic triumphed. Even after several days you can sense excitement and joy from the lucky winner.
Tomáš, how would you describe a racing week with MKR Technology?
Well, there’s really just one answer that I could easily sum up in a text, because I would simply type an LOL clapping emoticon. It was just the perfect experience through and through. From the very departure it was fantastic and I have to admit that the euphory has not still worn off.
What were your first feelings?
I flew to the location of the rally by myself and only in Marrakech I met the other winner from Bulgaria. Together we went to the first bivouac. I didn’t know anyone at all. Also, I didn’t want to bother anyone and, most importantly, I didn’t wish for them to be driving me around from one spot to another. I hoped to become an ordinary team member, wanted to help and be useful as much as possible. It would not have been a problem for me to help change tyres for instance. All of those dreams came true. I was able to help and that meant a lot to me. Of course it was really nice to see special stages but having the chance to contribute to the result in any way was an even more intense experience for me.
Has it ever occurred to you that you might be a part of the winning team?
No one had expected that, not even people on the team themselves. Since I do rallycross and autocross similar races are not entirely strange to me, so I had an idea about the team’s level, but I hadn’t expected this. The truck has an amazing construction. I thought to myself that a great result would be fourth place and better. Naturally, it’s always the key to avoid trivial accidents that might destroy everything, the key is making it to the finish, but I honestly did not expect that it would be such a blast. Basically, the team was reaching for the triumph from the very beginning. There was an amazing battle with de Rooy, who’s a household name. Victory was a cherry on top for me, a really juicy one.
How did you celebrate the triumph?
We had a drink in the hotel, but unfortunately I had to get up early the next day to catch my flight. I went to bed at around two and got up at seven. I knew we had a long way to Morocco ahead of us, so we drank only moderately to avoid trouble or hangover on the way back. Guys stayed up longer of course. But the moment I arrived home I popped champagne to toast to their success again.
Who are you going to support at the upcoming Dakar?
That’s an easy one – the Mammoet team and MKR Technology. All of that was born in the Czech Republic. The cornerstone was laid here. Mario Kress is German by birth, but in all other respects he’s a Czech and he built that fantastic truck together with Czech guys. It’s beyond any doubt that what they have achieved is just incredible. I’m very surprised that they only debuted at the Dakar last year and the truck is on such a high level. In my view, the entire team did one hell of a job. De Rooy and Loprais have years of experience under their belts, but MKR jumped in at the deep end. Kamazes are simply from another planet but I’m not afraid to say that Mario’s Renaults are a match for them. I dare say they can make the top four. However, anything can happen, the technology definitely is on the necessary level, but luck is essential and I wish from all my heart that they have enough of it.
What did you bring home from your „trip“?
Fantastic experience and a great deal of knowledge. I met a perfect team, guys who accepted me. I don’t consider myself a typical businessman, we have a small car shipping company, but with my son we continue in my granddad’s tradition, rally and rallycross, so it’s normal for me to get dirty in the workshop and they let me do it here as well. Mario is surrounded with really wonderful people. I asked lots of questions and everyone was very helpful, they answered everything. One thing smoothly followed up on another. Success does not lie in an individual effort, but in that of a team, and I learnt that here. This week incredibly enriching for me. At the start I was worried, but the fact that I could put my hand to the job did away with all worries. We worked on the chassis, I helped replace leak-springs and tyres. There was a lot to do and guys thanked me for the co-operation. It was truly honoured to have been a part of all of that.
