Today’s 6th stage was a perfect fit for the Dakar crew of the Big Shock Racing yellow truck, as they won the 6th stage place and are now 5th in the overall ranking. Finally, the program featured the ever-popular dunes, which Martin Macik with co-drivers Frantisek Tomasek and David Svanda properly enjoyed. Perhaps it was such a successful stage also because it was the last one before the well-deserved day off, so they could not wait to get to the bivouac. Charles, their truck, was as fast as lightning from start to finish, and the crew made no major mistakes. This time, the Dakar Caravan took a sandy route to Riyadh, where the racers are given the chance to recharge their batteries, call their families at home, clean up in the cabins of their specials and, above all, to sleep.
The Big Shock Racing motorcycle rider Jan Brabec also enjoyed reaching the finishing line on Friday, so that he could jump off the motorcycle, called Agnes, after six hard days. Jan’s knee, secure with a couple of screws, is finally going to get proper rest. The intrepid biker from Nosislav near Brno finished the 6th stage of the Dakar in 42nd place.
Macik could not wait for the dunes
Martin Macik’s crew in the truck number 504 managed the stage with ease and even after reaching the finish in Riyadh, they did not look particularly tired. The happy competitors finally enjoyed a dune ride, one that they trained for during the African test rides, and to which they had been looking forward from the beginning. “We drove fast from start to finish without much hesitation. Every truck we passed tried to race with us for a bit but then let us go. We drove through beautiful sandy plains and dunes. We also passed one beautiful high dune, but unfortunately, we only went by. I was excited to do it, David was already actively reminding me to be ready, but eventually, they didn’t send us into it. What a pity,” Martin Macik described Friday’s ride. The stage was perfect even from the navigational point of view. “So far, it does not seem to me that navigation is more difficult than last year in any way, as the organizers had warned us. Either they have made the roadbooks so well that everything just works, or we’re already well-trained. Half of the Dakar is over and I don’t think we have had any navigational stress or problems yet,” the navigator Frantisek Tomasek added.
Brabec does not want any more crashes
Big Shock Racing’s motorcyclist Jan Brabec started the 6th Dakar stage fast at first, but after 100 kilometres, his leg started hurting. That made him slow down a bit and carefully reach the finishing line. “In the previous stage, there was a bit too much of adventure, so this time I set a steady pace not to make any navigational mistakes and avoid injuries. I can’t afford to crash somewhere anymore. I made it to the bivouac in a calm and chill way today,” Jan Brabec said. “Anyway, today I thought I’d turn around and go back after about 10 kilometres, it was absolutely freezing. I was cold even though I had borrowed a vest from the mechanics,” Brabec concluded, looking forward to warming up a bit during the day off.
Watch the video from the 6th stage!
