Kress' trucks are heading for the Dakar
4.12.2020
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North Bohemian technology is heading for Dakar! After a very wild and demanding year, designers from MKR Technology can relax for a while. This year, team boss Mario Kress is sending a trio of Renault Trucks racing trucks to the legendary long-distance rally. These will be driven by experienced Dutch pilots. Daniel Kozlovský from Roudnice will also be on board in the cabin during the famous competition. And the goal is to reach top five. This week the machinery is being loaded and the race will start in January!
"It was a very special year, as it was strongly affected by Covid-19. For most of the year we didn't know what to expect. It was not easy, but I am very glad that it did not significantly affect the preparation and development of the machinery itself, and I think that despite all this we managed to progress a lot and have done a lot of work. We must stay focused. Just because the machinery is on its way Saudi Arabia, it does not mean we have done it. The measures are strict and we are all looking forward to the start of the competition as such," said Mario Kress, head of the MKR Technology design team.
Three North Bohemian special trucks are leaving the French port of Marseille for the 43rd edition of Dakar Rally. The only hybrid truck of pilot Gert Huzink, built on a C 460 truck, will be at the start again. Martin van den Brink from the Mammoet Rallysport team, who could be seen by fans in Renault in recent years with a red front nicknamed Sherpa, will be also driving this truck. However, his special truck does not contain hybrid technology. "Gert Huzink has exclusivity for this to some extent. In addition, it is a very complex project, which we are still developing and we do not want to split our effort," explained Mario Kress, why this unique technology will extend to other trucks on Dakar. Among the trucks, Huzink will be the only hybrid. The third special K520 will be led by Pascal de Baar, Huzink's teammate from Riwald Dakar. However, Martin van den Brink mentioned above will be assisted by his 18-year-old son Mitchel. It will be a debut for this young gentleman. The young van den Brink was with his father in a Renault race last year, this year he will be at the helm for the first time on Dakar as a pilot, but in his Volvo. The crews will have the following start numbers - 506 (Martin van den Brink), 511 (Gert Huzink) and 515 (Pascal de Baar). "Dakar will be very interesting. The main challenge will be to manage all the restrictions and conditions that the organizers have set. Only then comes the racing part. It will be a very difficult Dakar full of pitfalls, but everyone has the same rules, so it will be fair," said Mario Kress.
And has changed in the northern Bohemia team in the last year? More than anyone would expect. "We really have done a lot of work. After last year's Dakar we have done big changes. We rebuilt Sherpa and built another one. Both have already headed to China, so they are out for Dakar. For Dakar, we focused on further development of the hybrid and new technologies. We built another "C" and then came a series of demanding tests in France and on wet sand in Poland. We feel good about the results. The pilots are enthusiastic," said Kress, who moved the complete development center from Židovice, where he lives, to a nearby Chvalín. "The trucks are gone and we will have a lot of things to finish for the first time in the new center and finally we want to arrange it according to our ideas," smiled Mario Kress, who will move to the Dakar venue with the team before New Year's Eve.
The 43rd edition of the famous long-distance rally will start in Saudi Arabia for the second time. The organizers prepared completely new routes. The ceremonial start is scheduled for Saturday, 2nd January, in Jeddah. From Sunday on, the competition will start in full with the 1st stage and will be followed by two difficult weeks in the desert and on the route along the Red Sea. The winner will be known after 12 stages, on Friday 15th January, when the crews will return to the finish in Jeddah. "All of our trucks reached the finish line of the last Dakar, and I firmly believe that we will repeat this result this year, and we will also add not only individual stage results, but also a good result in overall ranking where we want to attack the elite five. Even with regard to the current measures, it will be a very difficult Dakar and it will not be possible without a good dose of luck. But we are ready and we will fight," Mario Kress, head of the MKR Technology team, is looking forward to the competition.
