The second Dakar stage was, thanks to its length of 460 km, the first major load not only for the MM Technology crew. For the first time, dunes appeared on track. The improved chassis set-up of the Cenda truck showed its full potential and it handled the dunes with ease. Martin Macik Jr., Frantisek Tomasek and David Svanda successfully completed the stage in third place and moved up to third in the overall standings.
Cenda feels at home in the dunes
On the 460 km long route from Al Henakiyah to Al Duwadimi, Cenda encountered sand dunes for the first time, where he was able to fully demonstrate his capabilities. The improvements over last season worked as they should, the orange truck was right in its element in the sand. “We are all happy for Cenda, it really showed its true potential today. It has no problem with any terrain, we had a great time in the dunes. We are really happy with the way the truck works this year”, praises the racing special mechanic David Svanda.
The organizers do not spare the competitors in terms of navigation
Although the MM Technology crew finished the whole challenging stage in third place, they did not avoid minor navigational glitches. “Yes, I got lost today. Unfortunately, sometimes there is a catch in the navigation and we were looking for a few waypoints. But no tragedy, it cost us a few minutes of time at most”, says navigator Frantisek Tomasek and adds: “I believe that we have already had our bad luck and we will not get lost in the next stages.”
The crew moved up in the overall standings
Long distances are really benefiting the crew of the MM Technology factory truck. Today’s drive in a truly racing pace earned Martin Macik Jr., Frantisek Tomasek and David Svanda third place not only in the finish of the stage, but also in the overall ranking of the truck category. “I enjoyed today immensely. Cenda flew without any problems, even though the stage was really rough and long. We all had a hard time, but I’m happy that we managed to overtake several of our opponents. The third place in the stage and even overall has motivated us for the rest of the Dakar.”, says Martin Macik Jr. with a smile.
Next on the agenda: marathon stage
Tomorrow, the first marathon stage of the year from Al Duwadimi to Al Salamiya awaits the competitors. With 438 km of racing, the teams will have only two hours to service their machinery, which always puts pressure on the mechanics.
