The victory of our team concluded the troubled Rally Morocco
18.10.2023
The best in the end? In the case of the performance of the MKR Technology team at this year's Rally Morocco, this is surely true. After all the bad luck and all the hardships, the North Bohemian truck wins the last 5th stage.
There can be no doubt that the North Bohemian truck from the workshop of the MKR Technology team is one of the fastest. The pilot of the Dutch Riwald Dakar Team, Gert Huzink, proved it even now by driving in the final stage of the Morocco Rally, which he dominated. He completed the 152 km long special stage in two hours and twenty minutes with a four and a half minute lead over the second Martin Macík, who was later disqualified. He was more than half an hour faster than the third Dutchman Zuurmond. "It is of course the most beautiful result in the end, but let's be honest, otherwise the race would have been a disaster for us. We know the car is fast, but in a race like this it's the little things that make the difference. Luck has eluded us every day since the very beginning. We were unlucky even in the prologue itself, where we started from the back positions. At the same time, Gert kept improving himself and set fast times, but then it takes a little thing - not to have the possibility of overtaking in the dust on a narrow road, not find a waypoint then search for it, or to get stuck in the dunes. On top of that, there is an hit that traps you on the track and your chances for the overall position is lost," Mario Kress, the head of the MKR Technology team from Chvalín in North Bohemia, shook his head, as he immediately added: "I have already thought about what we have been through in all the rallies so far and what we have experienced and it is absolutely unreal, but this Moroccan rally raised the bar again. The whole team was digging deep, both physically and mentally. After the second stage, when we were looking for a way to get to Gert, how to fix his truck in the unstable dunes, and then how to get back, it was long hours of great suffering, but we still managed it. No one gave up. I'm proud of the boys and I'm really happy about the golden finish at the end," added Mario Kress.
After returning to the competition on Tuesday, Gert Huzink was able to bring bronze from the penultimate stage and subsequently closed the race with gold. However, due to all the turns of events, he ends up in sixth place in the overall ranking. Penalties and disqualifications made a difference on the last day. The Czech crew of pilot Martin Macík was eliminated from the race and from the leading position, which, according to the FIA commissioners, raced with a restrictor that did not comply with the regulations, so Macík disappeared not only from the stage results, but also from the overall classification. The Dutchman Michiel Becx with an Iveco became the winner of this year. Huzink is ranked sixth. "We probably couldn't have asked for a tougher test before January's Dakar. Not only the technology passed with flying colors, but also the new team of mechanics made it. We know where we have room for improvement, what we need to do, but we also know that it will be essential to have luck on our side. In such demanding conditions, it is an integral part of any success," says chief designer Mario Kress looking forward to the Dakar.
