Kozlovský in 2nd stage of Dakar suffered as never before

8.1.2018

Very hard stage on 40th edition of Rally Dakar right on the second day. Sandy route took its toll on the whole racing field and some of the racers said it was the hardest stage they ever experienced. This was backed up by a number of accidents. But trucks from North Bohemia went successfully through. The best of Renault Trucks with van den Brink and Kozlovský, technician from Roudnice nad Labem took eighth position.

            “We got stuck for half an hour in the dunes. For me it was the worst stage in my life. I felt really sick, my stomach was all over the place due to the enormous bumps. The ground was really unstable and it collapsed many underneath the truck. It was a wild stage I was praying for the finish line. I have not thrown up, which was more or less a miracle” said Daniel Kozlovský, on-board technician of the truck no. 506, with a visible relief at the finish line.

            Kozlovský with pilot Martin van den Brink from Mammoet Rallysport team finished on eighth position with a gap of almost twenty eight minutes to Nikolaev from Russia. „We just got stuck in the dunes, so we are really satisfied. We are at the beginning and there is no point in crying over such a gap. The vehicle is fast and reliable and we all believe it will continue the same way” added Kozlovský.

            Mammoet team-mate Janus van Kasteren arrived with his truck from Židovice on thirteenth position with a gap of an hour. The stage made suffer third north-bohemian special - Gert Huzink reached the finish line on sixteenth place with almost two-hour loss.

            The crews went through the second day which both started and finished in Pisco. Timed stage had almost two hundred and eighty kilometres. Drivers had to drive just some twelve kilometres more in total. Stage winner Russian Nikolaev moved into overall lead. Van den Brink is sixth, van Kasteren thirteenth and Huzink on sixteenth place with gaps similar to those they got in this stage.

            Third stage goes from Pisco to San Juan de Marcona and has 504 km, out of which 296 kilometres is special sections. Once the stage is mostly sand, but this time there is no shortage of steep climbs and descends into canyons.