In Sunday’s 8th stage of Dakar 2023, the crew of the MM Technology team consisting of Martin Macik, Frantisek Tomasek and David Svanda took another victory of this year. In the overall standings, the competitors from Sedlcany are 4th before the day off. But they are losing only a few seconds to the 3rd overall place. In the second part of the demanding marathon stage, the crew demonstrated that they are better suited to more extreme conditions. Martin Macik held the pedal to the metal, and at the same time, with his technically oriented driving, brought the orange truck steadily to the finish line. Navigator Frantisek Tomasek never hesitated when it came to collecting checkpoints. Mechanic David Svanda and his colleagues prepared Cenda perfectly the day before, during an hour and a half long service. And thanks to a fine-tuned teamwork, the crew of the MM Technology team conquered today’s 346 racing kilometers with complete dominance.

A marathon morning as it should be

In the second part of the marathon race on Sunday, the Cenda truck from Sedlcany was again in excellent condition. At the same time, the team mechanics were only able to service it for 2 hours after finishing the Saturday stage, and after the orange special rally truck arrived at the finish line quite beaten up. Skilled professionals, under the guidance of Martin Macik Sr., the head of the MM Technology team, were able to tune it up again in record time. The success in today’s stage thus largely belongs to them.

Pilot Martin Macik, navigator Frantisek Tomasek and mechanic David Svanda spent the night in the marathon bivouac, separated from the team, in the company of other competitors. “We slept in a dining room with lights on; we had 3 giant inflatables. Unfortunately, David got a punctured one, so he ended up lying on the ground. It was crazy cold. We had thermal underwear; we were snuggled up in our sleeping bags and anything that was peeking out was freezing up. We had headphones, earplugs, and we got a good night’s rest in the end. It was great, a proper Dakar,” describes Martin Macik.

A smooth operation

The will to fight was in the air in the morning. The crew entered the track determined to gain a few more precious minutes before the day. And it worked. The competitors of the MM Technology team even showed joy and emotion at the finish line this time, which is not often the case. “We are happy for today’s victory. We are at the finish line. It was challenging, but we did it. The day off is here! You’re going to rest now, your bones will fall apart, everything will hurt,” shouted Martin Macik to his navigator Frantisek Tomasek at the finish line.

The crew started the stage in 7th place and had to overtake a lot. They drove through riverbeds full of gravel. “We had to be careful not to damage the truck, not to jump somewhere blindly so it wouldn’t cost us more minutes. But it was fun, the terrain was alternating between sand and dirt roads. Everything was wet. It has rained everywhere. We still had to look for the best route,” explained Martin Macik.

Both marathon stages were very similar when it comes to terrain. And the crew of the orange truck gradually ate up one kilometer after another. “I think that at about the 150th kilometer we overtook Van Kasteren, who was doing a tire repair there, so we already knew that we had quite enough mileage,” describes Frantisek Tomasek. Then came the first dunes, where they managed to overtake other rivals. “In the dunes, we overtook Martin van den Brink, who got stuck on one of the peaks,” adds Martin Macik and adds: “The final stony sections were ours. There we flew beautifully in the riverbeds. And everything worked. Navigation was, again, without error. Kudos to Frantisek. And today’s success also came thanks to David, dad, and the mechanics. They are unreal. Within an hour and a half yesterday, they put the truck together perfectly, even though we made their work a little bit harder,” Martin Macik praised his teammates at the finish line.

There is no rest at the Dakar

A “day off” awaits the Dakar teams on Monday. This means that the competitors will not hit the track in the morning, but they will certainly not rest. Above all, the mechanics of the MM Technology team will be busy tuning all the Dakar racing trucks designed by Martin Macik Sr. In addition to Martin’s Cenda, they also take care of Jenda piloted by Claudio Bellina (Italtrans Racing), Nicias of driver Kees Koolen (Project 2030). Also, Richard de Groot’s Arnold (Firemen Dakarteam) was created in the Sedlcany workshops. Cenda, Jenda and Nicias receive a complete repair service from the Sedlcany mechanics of MM Technology during the Dakar. Arnold has its own mechanics and support vehicles; the MM Technology team provides technical supervision. All the vehicles now need to be prepared during the day and night for all the expected fights in the dunes of the dreaded Empty Quarter, which the Dakar wheels have not yet entered. But in a few hours, everything will change. We look forward to the continuation and thank all our brilliant fans for always cheering us up with their support.