From the start of the Rallye du Maroc, it was clear that it would be a tough race across challenging terrain that would test both the MM Technology crew and their factory truck named Cenda. After a total of five stages, Martin Macik Jr., Frantisek Tomasek and David Svanda finished in first place.

A 5-star warm-up round

The Moroccan journey of the MM Technology team began with an 18 km long prologue, which set the starting position of the crew in the first stage of the race itself. The truck named Cenda was working well, especially the chassis was perfectly tuned by the team of mechanics, so after completing the short route through varied terrain, Martin Macik Jr., Frantisek Tomasek and David Svanda started the Rallye du Maroc from the first place.

Climbing the highest mountain before the first stage

Before starting the 1st stage of the race, the competitors completed a nearly 300 km long crossing over the mountains, during which they climbed up to an altitude of over 1700 m. The 300km-long stage took riders through challenging, rocky terrain, which was especially noticeable on the tyres. They did not enjoy the high temperatures, nor did the crew in the cabin. David Svanda adds: “Of course, high temperatures have an effect on everything, the longer you are on the route, the more we and the equipment get hot. But it’s the same for all.” Cenda coped with all the challenges of the track in an exemplary manner, as did navigator Frantisek Tomasek, who was one of the few not to be fooled by the alteration of the route, and the MM Technology team ended the opening day victorious.

Cenda was jumping over the first dunes

The 2nd stage of the Rallye du Maroc offered the participants not only a rough, rocky terrain, but also two dune fields and two neutralisations on a route of almost 300 km. The crew of Cenda therefore started lightly, which their current position allowed them to do. “The dune fields were beautiful, albeit tricky. We had to find a way over the tops of the dunes so as not to get stuck, so after a gentle start, we took the plunge and just jumped over them”, Martin Macik Jr. sums up his impressions from the continuation of the race. There was also no rest for the riders in the next 333 km long stage full of sand, camel grass and rocky roads with occasional dunes. But the hard work paid off, as the orange truck and its crew were rewarded with another victory.

A small obstacle does not spoil the joy from the result

At the end of the penultimate stage, the team got a reward in the form of the third level dunes in the Merzouga area, which of course they did not shy away from and finished second. “Cenda seems to have gotten used to the local temperatures, because everything is still working at its best and the truck was able to handle everything that was thrown in its path without any problems,” says mechanic David Svanda.

Unfortunately, it was discovered during a routine FIA inspection that the restrictor dimension did not comply with the rules and the MM Technology truck was excluded from the race. The MM Technology team disagrees with the result of the inspection, as the same component without any change in specifications was also checked during the Dakar and was not found to be problematic in any way. Martin Macik Jr. explains the next steps: “For us, the race is won and now we will just wait for the decision of the independent arbitrator to confirm the result. That could take several months.”

Fans won’t miss out on meeting the team

Although it might seem that the crew would have their spirits skinking, this is not the case. “We are happy with the result and we are looking forward to the Dakar, where we will go with the same truck setup, because it did a great job in Morocco.”, sums up the feelings of the whole team Martin Macik Jr. and adds: “We would like to thank the organisers for a great race, the mechanics who prepared Cenda perfectly and the fans for their support. Soon we will meet them at the Dakar Obsessed Talkshow tour, and we will have many stories to tell.” Tickets for the Dakar Obsessed Talkshow go on sale on the evening of 19th October. Before the trucks and crew leave for Saudi Arabia, fans will have the chance to personally wish the entire MM Technology team good luck and maybe even sign Cenda on 25th November at the square in Sedlcany.