MKR trucks are ready for the start of the Dakar

6.1.2019

Photo gallery
Total 43

The 41st edition of the Dakar Rally is here. Three of the North-Bohemian trucks by the MKR Technology team are fully prepared and the world's most prestigious race can begin. The sharp start is scheduled for Monday and the finish is again in the capital of Peru after ten stages.

            "Before the weekend, we assembled all the trucks that had a long hard journey on board of a ferry from Europe, and then we properly tested all the equipment. Then came the administration and technical take-over. Everything is ready and welook forward to a close start," said Mario Kress, lead designer of the Renaults from Židovice.

            Dakar starts fifth decade of its history this year. This time, the race will be quite different and the organizers promise one of the most demanding programs ever seen by the participants. The entire race takes place exclusively in Peru. The rally will start on Monday in the capital city of Lima, where participants will return after ten stages. There is only one free day on the program, and there will be a marathon part in which crews have to take care of themselves without the assistance of mechanical teams. In total, there are ten stages in eleven days for the crews, over five and a half thousand difficult Peru kilometres and three thousand kilometres of special sections. Seventy percent of the route consists of sandy ground and treacherous dunes. "It will not only be a big load on machinery but also a big pressure on navigators. Ahead of us is a really difficult Dakar and I do not want to speculate about its development after all my previous experiences. But we are ready to fight the best, the spirit is great, and now we need to have good luck on our side too, "stated Mario Kress, head of the Czech engineering team MKR Technology, who prepared a three trucks for Renault Trucks for this year's rally in South America. These will be driven by the proven Dutch crews. Two red trucks are run by Mammoet Rallysport and the third special truck is driven by a collaborating team Riwald Dakar. Martin van den Brink will be at the steering wheel of the CBH 4x4 nicknamed as Sherpa. His dream has come true last year. For the first time in the cockpit for Dakar he is sitting with his sixteen-year-old son Mitchell, who has got a number of exceptions and thanks to these he is the youngest participant in this year's Dakar. However, the dream does not end here - according to the plan, Mitchel should be also historically the youngest Dakar pilot in two years. Now, he is awaiting a very hard debut alongside his father. Their has number 506. 531 belongs to his teammate Janus van Kasteren, who rides a K520 Renault. The white special truck with a number 512 will be driven by Gert Huzink. "Of course, The Bedouin is our long-term goal, so let's see if we are happy this year. We are ready and have a strong will to fight and not to give up, so let's go,"  added Mario Kress for the start of 41st edition the rally.

Sdílet: