Tire took away Huzink’s victory
5.10.2022
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The fans of the North Bohemian truck racing in the colors of the Dutch Riwald Dakar team were very happy before Wednesday's 4th stage of the Morocco Rally. After yesterday's fire, the technicians managed to repair the truck overnight so that it not only started the next stage, but even "on paper" was going for win. However, before the finish line he was stopped by another flat tire, so he tumbled to fifth place.
"I admit that I have never experienced this before. After a few days in Morocco, the truck is in significantly worse condition than it was after entire Dakar. The hard and stony routes here destroy the machinery in an unbelievable way. Of course, we are not alone in this. Everyone is struggling with it. But we really don’t have luck on our side. The whole thing is like a nightmare, but I'm happy that the guys managed to fix it and the crew is not giving up and is fighting as hard as they can," commented Mario Kress, lead designer of the Renault hybrid truck, with mixed feelings.
After Tuesday's stage, when the truck from the Chvalín workshop of the MKR Technology team caught fire, it seemed that the damage and especially the burnt cables of the electrical installation would be difficult to repair overnight. Nevertheless, the mechanics managed to repair it and everything was up and running by morning. Gert Huzink went into the penultimate stage with more determination. He immediately fought his way to the front of the race and aimed for the much-desired first place. Despite all the pitfalls, forced stops and tire changes, he always had the best time at all the crossing points. But in the end, another puncture came. Just twenty kilometers before the finish line, Huzink was riding on a rim and was forced to stop when he had no other spare tire to change. But he was helped by the Czech crew of Martin Macík.
The longest stage of this year from Laayoune to Tan Tan with a length of 346 timed kilometers was won by the Dutchman Koolen. Gert Huzink finally came in fifth with almost a forty-minute loss. Martin Macík still remains in the overall lead.
The crews have one more stage to go - final 5th stage from Tan Tan to Agadir, which is almost three hundred and eighty kilometers long. The timed section is slightly less than three hundred kilometers long, and then the whole entourage returns to the city where the whole rally started this year.
