The next edition of Rallye du Maroc, which consists of five stages over a total of 2240 km of varied terrain, will start on 13th October with a prologue. In addition to the gravel sections, we will also visit the largest dunes in Morocco. The crew of MM Technology in the traditional line-up of pilot Martin Macik Jr., navigator Frantisek Tomasek and mechanic David Svanda is ready to compete with the challenging conditions and wants to repeat last year’s victory.
Macik will not get discouraged by strong competition
Rallye du Maroc is already a traditional autumn event in the World Cup calendar, so it is no surprise that in addition to Martin Macik Jr.’s team, we can look forward to the presence of other crews who want to collect valuable points for the championship. “The competition is strong, and of course the most important thing for us is to keep an eye on Janus van Kasteren and Tomas Vratny, with whom we are competing in the World Cup. We will see how everyone fares. In races like this, getting a defect is likely to impact the result significantly. We’ll do everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen to us and to finish among the best.”, says Martin Macik Jr.
Cenda and the crew are ready to race
With the Morocco rally being the second most challenging event the MM Technology team is participating in this year; the guys have not underestimated the preparation and both the factory truck Cenda and the crew are in great shape. “Cenda has already had several races where we have been able to test the upgrades for this season. Everything is working the way we want it to so far, so we haven’t changed anything major since the last race in Poland. Before the Dakar, the truck will get a new roll cage, but in Morocco we will still use the original one.”, explains mechanic David Svanda. The on-site technical service of the truck is provided not only by a team of mechanics, but also by Martin Macik Sr., who oversees the development and construction of all the MM Technology trucks.
The MM Technology crew trained in the Czech Republic in the presence of fans between the races this year, so physically and mentally they all feel good and are ready for the challenges of the prologue and all five stages. Navigator Frantisek Tomasek sums up the mood of the team: “Cenda is tested, prepared and all set up. And so are we. We don’t have any illnesses or injuries in the team, we’ve also completed the shakedown, so after successful scrutineering, we’ve even taken a look at the terrain and the mood is good.”
The Moroccan competition will start on Friday the 13th
Although the shakedown was relatively short, the MM Technology crew was able to find enough room on the track to warm up. Everything worked well, so on Thursday Cenda will just have to undergo routine maintenance and some light tweaking. First sharp encounter with the Moroccan terrain will come on Friday, 13th October, when the participants embark on a 120 km long prologue including a transfer. It is the prologue that will determine the starting order for the first stage of the race, which the competitors will start on Saturday. “We’re not superstitious, so the prologue on Friday the 13th doesn’t scare us. We’ll do our best to get a good starting position and we’ll be flying into the first stage on Saturday. For us, all the stages will be a pursuit of a World Cup position, so we will go all in. Personally, I’m looking forward to the varied terrain, which is very similar to Saudi Arabia. We’re also looking forward to the biggest dunes in Morocco, in the last two stages in the Merzouga area. It will be a good training for the Dakar and of course we want to fight and repeat last year’s victory.”, Martin Macik Jr. reveals the team’s plans with a light smile.
