The impossible turns possible as the team presents third truck for the Dakar
21.11.2016
The impossible has become reality! The MKR Technology team is in fact going to compete in the Dakar with three trucks. These were officially presented for the first time this weekend at a spectacular presentation in Harskamp, the Netherlands.
In Harskamp, home of the Mammoet Rallysport team, all three pilots and crews for the upcoming year were introduced. Two Mammoet trucks will join forces with one special of the Riwald Dakar Team. Behind the steering wheel will be Martin van den Brink, Pascal de Baar and Gert Huzink. Composition of the crew has been a matter of discussion since mid-September. The Renault Sherpa unexpectedly caught fire during testing, leaving Martin van den Brink without a special which had been a great competition for the Russian Kamaz trucks. In summer van den Brink was even reaching for a win at the Silk Way Rally in summer. “It was a tour de force from all of us. Only now do I start to realize that it’s actually true. All three cars are ready and in a great shape,” commented Mario Kress, MKR Technology’s chief constructor who built the trio of trucks.
After the presentation in weekend the technology will be moved to the French Le Havre port to be shipped to South America the following weekend. What can we expect from the 2017 Dakar Rally? “In reality we have lost a year worth of work. We have had unbelievably bad luck this year. We lost two trucks, which could be disastrous for some teams. However, we managed to get back on our feet every single time, though the time we could have spent on development is lost. We can hardly think about victory. Anyway, our goal is top 10 and in the best-case scenario top 5. Anything better than that would be a cherry on top,” smiled Mario Kress.
The pilots van den Brink with the Sherpa and de Baar and Huzink with the K520 special will be competing as one team. Also this year there will be a Czech crew member onboard, the Roudnice based mechanic Daniel Kozlovský will be in Martin van den Brink’s truck. “We’re all going to work together and strive for the best possible result. Without solid cooperation and more importantly a huge portion of luck you don’t stand a chance in succeeding at the Dakar,“ states Kress, adding that the rally will be a major challenge with a brand new truck for the Riwald team. Nevertheless, they managed to win the Moroccan Rally OiLibya with it in October. “In his case Dakar will be about the kilometres he will make there. The objective is to finish the race and help his colleagues. I believe that our entire crew has a great chance to make a good result. We have all done our best and although we’re in a great shape it’s better to remain realistic, regardless of the fact that the legendary Bedouin is a dream of ours which we‘re going to fulfil,” said the determined Mario Kress.
