Three north-Bohemian Renaults in the best four

20.4.2018

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Absolut fantasy! After previous technical problems the north-Bohemian trucks finished on the first two places in 5thstage of Morocco Desert Challenge. Without Aleš Loprais the Mario Kress` Renaults from Židovice could have celebrated a gold stage hattrick. The stage was won by van Kasteren, second ended Huzink and the fourth was van den Brink.

“It was like a miracle. We finished the Janus van Kasteren`s truck just twenty minutes before the start. We were working on it the whole night. At one moment it looked like we would not make it in time, but all ended well. We even managed a short test and then just the winner stage was about to come. That is a great satisfaction,”said satisfied mechanics from Roudnice, Daniel Kozlovský.

The designer MKR Technology team won three stages so far and did not miss any podium. But the two hundred and seventy kilometers long fifth stage from Fezou to Merzouga was time to time uncertain. The team of Janus van Kasteren was already in their helmets ready to start when their truck came with the message that it was ready to start. After the issues with cooling the mechanics had to exchange the head gasket. Not an easy task in the desert, but the MKR team succeeded. “We kept watching the temperature for the first twenty kilometers and when it showed up that everything was all right, we stepped on the gas. Starting on eleventh position we drove the whole day in high speed and we were overtaking someone all the time. The truck went perfectly, so the win is just thanks to the mechanics. Without them we would have not even started,”praised young Dutch pilot Janus van Kasteren the team from Židovice.

Similarly, Gert Huzink shined with his second place, as after the technical issues he aimed to the stage win, but lost half an hour in the dunes which costed him the gold. The whole podium was not occupied by Renault Trucks specials due to a Czech pilot Aleš Loprais that finished third between Gert Huzink and Martin van den Brink. Because of that he still keeps the overall ranking ahead of the second van den Brink.

In the 6^thstage from Merzouga to Boudenib the teams have to handle a bit over three hundred kilometers. It will be the last day in the dunes, but rather substantial. It starts with northwest passing of the highest dunes in Morocco, Erg Chebbi, then the dunes in Erg Znaigui follow and afterwards a fast technical route towards north.

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