The treacherous dunes in the 7th imprisoned many crews

15.1.2019

The crews of the 41st Dakar rally have made it through the toughest stage. The Dutchman de Rooy coped the best with treacherous dunes of 7th stage, but his fellow countryman Janus van Kasteren driving a Renault truck from Židovice did a great job and only just stay outside top ten.

            "This stage was the most difficult one in this year's race, so there were even recommendations to take sleeping bags and warm clothes with you, in case someone was forced to sleep in the dunes. I am glad that we managed to avoid this experience. We have not made it completely without any problems, but fortunately we reached the finish successfully without bigger scars,"Mario Kress, North Bohemian engineer,described the stage.

            Both specials from Židovice eventually got stuck in the dunes for some time. But most crews, however, were fighting with the sand, so it was no exception at all. "Janus was stuck once and he had to change a flat tire. Gert stayed in the dunes as well, but he had to change the tire twice afterwards,"said Mario Kress.

            Gerard de Rooy with his Iveco, coped the best with the 7th stage, which had both starting and finishing point in San Juan de Marcona, and took more than three hundred and twenty kilometres. The second-placed Belarus Viazovich lost exactly half an hour. Two hours later, Janus van Kasteren crossed the finished line. Crews had to travel slightly less than four hundred miles in total. 

On the route there were also racers in "Little Dakar". Among the trucks, Martin Macík coped the best with the course and pilot of the North Bohemian truck, Gert Huzink, could be satisfied as well with bronze position.

            But the big Dakar is still lead by Russian Nikolaev with Kamaz, who extended the lead over second-placed Sotnikov and is now leading by more than half an hour. Van Kasteren is currently on eleventh position. 

There are three last difficult stages to go. Tuesday's eighth stage goes from San Juan de Marcona to Pisco and is over five hundred and seventy kilometres. The timed section is three hundred and twenty.