Today the competitors of the Dakar started its 2nd stage. To reach the destination near the town of Alula, they had to conquer 430 racing kilometers and another 158 km of liaison. The crew of the MM Technology team, consisting of pilot Martin Macik, navigator Frantisek Tomasek and mechanic David Svanda, experienced their first tough moments after winning the prologue and the victorious 1st stage. One of the stones destroyed their rear brakes, which caused further technical complications. Fortunately, the situation was resolved and the Cenda truck with its crew arrived at the finish line in 8th place. They now hold the 5th position overall. The mechanics are having a night shift and the crew is going to gather strength so that they can fight again tomorrow and make up today’s lost time.
It was a mess; our gloves were burning up
Today’s 2nd stage led from the Sea Camp to the town of Alula. The crew of the MM technology team stopped several times on track and dealt with unexpected situations caused by tossed up stones. They thus gathered several juicy stories for the Dakar Obsessed events. “Now at the finish line, everything is better, but it was tough. At the beginning, we set the pace, the track was full of stones, we drove in riverbeds. Some pieces of gravel destroyed our rear brakes, so they began to brake non-stop and were overheating the tires, which gradually began to lose air and flatten. We had to slow down, fix the brakes, change the tires. The wheels were completely red-hot, the nuts would not let go. We were trying to loosen them with the wrench. We were jumping on it because our gloves were burning up during the attempt to change the wheels. It was brutal. Fortunately, our colleagues from the bivouac, Kees Koolen and Claudio Bellina, gradually caught up with us and each gave us one tire, for which we thank them,” Martin Macik describes the situation on the track. Concerns about more possible technical issues did not allow the crew to set a chasing pace. They therefore reached their destination in the dark. “After the last neutralization, the sun had already set and we drove the last hundred kilometers in the dark. Buggies, dust, you can’t see anything, we flew as fast as the car allowed us,” explains Macik.
We will keep fighting, it’s Dakar as it should be
In Monday’s stage, the competitors of the MM Technology team seriously warmed up. One tire of their truck weighs around 140 kg including the rim. Fortunately, the team has enough in stock – they’ve taken over 100 to the Dakar. “We lost a lot of time today, but we will keep fighting and try to catch up with our rivals,” says Martin Macik. The mechanics are ready to get working on Cenda and check it properly after a difficult ride.
At the same time, the MM Technology team congratulates all today’s competitors who succeeded in the stage. As recent developments show, this year’s Dakar is exciting right from the beginning. And that’s the way it should be. We still have most of the stages ahead of us. And it is clear from the first speed trial stages that there will be no shortage of thrilling experiences and surprising twists. We are looking forward to tomorrow’s continuation, which takes the Dakar drivers to the area of Ha’il, which they already know from previous years. The number of racing kilometers in the 3rd stage will increase even more.
