The second Dakar stage destroyed Huzink's hopes

2.1.2023

Bad luck on Dakar continues for North Bohemian Renaults. Although the technicians managed to get the truck working overnight for Pascal de Baar to support his teammate Gert Huzink, it was Gert who was eliminated in the stage 2 by a failure of his turboblower.

"When we talked about bad luck in the 1st stage, we had no idea what would happen to us in the next stage. I already have a feeling that this is going to be some kind of curse. After all, the failed turbo was completely new," lead designer Mario Kress shook his head.

Monday's 2nd stage from Sea Camp to Alula, six hundred kilometers long, provided the crews with demanding almost three hundred and seventy kilometers of timed sections in canyons and dunes. After a sleepless night, MKR Technology technicians were able to repair Pascal de Baar's fire-damaged engine from Stage 1 to allow the driver to stay in the race and go for stage success. Gert Huzink had a solid start to the race, but between the first and second waypoint he his turbo has failed. Despite the efforts of de Baar's colleagues and the quick assistance of Adwin Hoondert, Huzink was unable to fully return to the race, so his truck headed to the bivouac. Czech pilot Aleš Loprais won the stage. Pascal de Baar arrived in twenty-first place with almost a three-hour loss, and Adwin Hoondert was classified right behind him.

The victorious Loprais made his way to the lead in general classification of the truck category, replacing Martin Macík in the lead. For the pilots of the Riwald Dakar team, the hope for a solid overall result of the 45th edition of the legendary competition died in the second stage. However, they will continue to fight for the stage success in order to obtain additional valuable data that such a demanding race as the Dakar Rally can bring.

Tuesday's 3rd stage from Alula to Ha'il has a total of almost six hundred kilometers, including four hundred and fifty kilometers of timed sections. Although the organizers promise that the first fifty kilometers will be among the most beautiful in this year's edition, treacherous canyons and demanding navigation will make it another tough test.