Pascal soars into Top Ten in the mountains as Martin stops

5.1.2017

The third Dakar stage led the crews to an altitude of nearly five thousand metres above sea level. With the special divided into two parts, it was not a joyful ride for the MKR Technology constructing team this time. While Pascal de Baar superbly fought his way to Top Ten, his colleague Martin van den Brink lost the lead.

“It’s as different as day and night. We won stage two only to get a completely different outcome in stage three. We’re definitely not happy about this, Dakar can be extremely cruel. Unfortunately, this is a fact we need to take into account,” commented the somewhat dispirited Mario Kress, chief constructor of the Renault Trucks racing specials.
 One of the three trucks from Židovice piloted by the Dutch Gert Huzink did not even start in the third stage after he suffered a bad collision with a Toyota he was following in stage two. The crew was unharmed but the damage to the truck was so extensive that the team decided to leave the race due to safety reasons. “The axle and above all the cabin are gone. Anywhere else we would be able to respond to this situation but we’re short of time here. We’re sorry but we wouldn’t be able to ensure sufficient safety for the crew in these conditions, which is a number one priority and even more so when you‘re at the Dakar. Taking risks here doesn’t always pay off,” said Mario Kress.
 He was right. Another major test came in the third stage from San Miguel de Tucumán to San Salvador de Jujuy which stretched over 750 km. The trucks ascended to up to 4,895 metres above sea level. This time the special was divided into two parts. After the first eighty kilometres there was a 500km neutralization section followed by another 120 timed kilometres. Traps of the off-road route were best negotiated by the Russian Nikolaev on a Kamaz truck, completing the stage in two hours forty-five minutes. Second place was occupied by Martin Kolomý on a Tatra and third by the Argentinian Villagra. Mammoet Rallysport’s Pascal de Baar racing on a Renault Trucks truck built by MKR Technology in North Bohemia arrived on a great position eight. Unfortunately, his team-mate and a leading pilot Martin van den Brink had to face technical problems right after the start of the second special section. Only after a few kilometres his truck stopped and the crew lost valuable tens of minutes. At the moment we are waiting for further details.
 Eventually, Eduard Nikolaev swept up the lead of the overall ranking and Pascal de Baar made his way through to Top Ten. Future of Martin van den Brink’s crew, which includes the Roudnice based mechanic Daniel Kozlovský, is still unclear.
 However, the crews are about to set off to the 521km-long stage four from San Salvador to Tupiza, out of which 416km form the special section. This episode will open the six-day period in high altitude, with the crews racing in three and a half thousand metres above sea level and on top of that, tackling sand dunes. In stage four the route will take the teams from Argentina to Bolivia. 

Dakar 2017
Results – stage 3 (San Miguel de Tucumán-San Salvador, 199 km):