Our crews assisted others
9.1.2015
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The trucks‘ crews have concluded the fastest timed section of the 37th year. Those racing with our technology support showed their strength and humanity in the fifth stage. Not only are all five trucks of the Czech-Dutch alliance still „in the game“, but they are able to help the others, too.
Stage fife from Copiapa to Antofagasta measured almost seven hundred kilometres, out of which 458km were timed. The pilots crossed the line of three thousand metres above the sea level. „This was a typical Dakar stage. It was long and incredibly dusty. One could have easily overestimate their abilities and technology and many got in trouble as a result. A lot of crews were dealing with technical issues or accidents,“ commented Martin van den Brink, who performed excellent drive on one of the Renaults from our workshop.
The Dutch pilot arrived at the finish of the fastest test as eleventh with a loss of almost twenty-four minutes on the winning Russian Nikolaev on a Kamaz. His compatriot de Baar crossed the finish line on seventeenth position one hour later. In comparison, the Czech pilot Tomáš Vrátný further improved his personal best. He reached position eight at the finish, despite having stopped to help Martin Kolomý turn his Tatra back on it wheels. “Martin took it a little too far there, ran into a hillside and turned over. We helped them get back on wheels, so that they could continue,“ commented Tomáš Vrátný, who occupies eleventh stage in the overall ranking, right behind his Czech opponent.
Equally helpful was the Kazakhstani-Czech crew of the turquoise Tatra Jamal. Artur Ardavichus with our Daniel Kozlovský stopped to help an injured motorcycle rider, who got a lift from a helicopter afterward. “Almost a two-hour loss was absolutely insignificant at that moment. The result is not important when you know that life is at stake. On the other hand, the time we spent at the motorbike rider should be deducted from our total time, and we should rise in the ranking. Even if not, we would do the same thing again,“ said the tired Dandy.
Third crew of the Bonver Dakar Project with Poland’s Szustkowki got a burst tyre and had to replace it, coming to the finish on twenty-fifth position.
For racing day number six the organizers prepared for the crews more than six hundred kilometres of the distance from Antofagasta to Iquique, with a little less than a half of it timed. The crews will take a closer look at the Pacific coast. “We’re gonna spend the next four days in Iquique. I believe the whole team will get a chance to rest, many mechanics have been working non-stop several days in a row. Hats off to them! Basically, everyone is using about two hundred percent of their energy. Fatigue has affected everyone already, but that’s what Dakar is like,“ added our team executive Klára Kress.
Results - Trucks – Stage 5: 1. Nikolaev (RUS) Kamaz 4:34:55, 2. Mardeev (RUS) Kamaz +9:58, 3. Viazovich (BLR) MAZ +15:46, 4. Loprais (CZE) MAN +16:46, 5. Sotnikova (RUS) Kamaz, +20:45, 8. Vrátný (CZE) Tatra +39:32, 11. van den Brink (NED) Renault Trucks +41:57, 17. de Baar (NED) Renault Trucks +1:01:32, 19. Kolomý (CZE) Tatra +1:15:49, 25. Szustkowski (POL) Tatra +1:46:03, 29. Ardavichus/Kozlovský (KAZ/CZE) Tatra +1:47:49.
Overall ranking: 1. Nikolaev (RUS) Kamaz 15:16:18, 2. Mardeev (RUS) Kamaz +8:01, 3. Loprais (CZE) MAN +27:28, 4. Karginov (RUS) Kamaz +27:36, 5. Sotnikov (RUS) Kamaz +45:57, 9. ven den Brink (NED) Renault Trucks +1:50:19, 10. Kolomý (CZE) Tatra +1:58:09, 11. Vrátný (CZE) Tatra +2:11:11, 19. Ardavichus/Kozlovský (KAZ/CZE) Tatra +4:10:48, 20. de Baar (NED) Renault Trucks +4:25:43, 22. Szustkowski (POL) Tatra +5:20:14.
The trucks‘ crews have concluded the fastest timed section of the 37th year. Those racing with our technology support showed their strength and humanity in the fifth stage. Not only are all five trucks of the Czech-Dutch alliance still „in the game“, but they are able to help the others, too.
