The entrance to the second half of Dakar was successful

9.1.2022

Both crews of the North Bohemian Renault team of the MKR Technology workshop coped well with beginning of the second half of the 44th Dakar. Pilot Gert Huzink completed the 7th stage in the sixth fastest time, his colleague Pascal de Baar finished thirteenth.

The crews had a day off. However, because of complete and maintenance, it was a demanding day especially for the mechanics from Chvalín of the MKR Technology team, who had to put both specials in the best possible condition for the second half of the competition. The free day also included a presentation by the Riwald Dakar team at a press conference organized by A.S.O., who spoke about the future of Dakar combined with sustainable technologies. The Dutch team has an edge in this respect, as it was historically the first participant with a truck with hybrid technology, which has been developed for him by the North Bohemian workshop MKR Technology of Mario Kress. In addition to the diesel engine, the Renault C460 Hybrid also has an electric drive unit, which saved the crew in the first stage. "Due to a cracked pipe between the turbo and the intercooler, the diesel engine barely worked. The crew reached the finish line only thanks to the electric motor, which proved to be a great backup at the moment," said Mario Kress, proud of his team and the Riwald Dakar team, with which he is rewriting history of the legendary competition.

Both of Kress' trucks did great in Sunday's 7th stage from Riyadh to Al Dawadimi. The Russian Shibalov drove the four-hundred-kilometer route the fastest, but the Dutchman Huzink lost only six and a half minutes to him in sixth place. "It was another very quick stage. We lost a bit in the dunes and it was very difficult to navigate the route. We drove in the dust of Loprais for a long time until he made a mistake and we could overtake him and continue. We already had another one in sight, but due to one of the waypoints we had to return and we lost a little bit again. So it could have been better, but we are in the top ten and we are very satisfied with that," said Gert Huzink, whose teammate Pascal de Baar, chose a more careful driving style. In the end he finished thirteenth.

A solid entry into the second half of the Dakar brought a small shift in the overall ranking as well. Russian Sotnikov still leads with Kamaz, but Gert Huzink has moved to 13th place. His partner de Baar is nineteenth.

Monday's 8th stage to Wadi Al Dawasir will be the longest stage overall this year. Crews will have to cover 830 kilometers, including almost four hundred kilometers of timed sections and they will be going through and endless fields of sand.