Already after Sunday’s test, which was only supposed to be a warm-up, many participants spoke of the massacre. Motorcyclist Libor Podmol reached the broken finish line and decided to end the rally early. David Pabiška also had scars and quadricyclist Zdeněk Tůma described: “I saw rescue helicopters in the air.” It was really hard at first. One of the most demanding departures of the Dakar. It was really brutal.”
Aleš Loprais, second among the trucks, also shook his head after the finish line. “The first stage showed how the Dakar will develop and where the difficulty organizer wants to take it. There were still many cars left on the track and they will have a difficult time in the desert at night,” he suspected.
And according to the organizers’ description, the second act will be somewhat similar to the first act. 430 measured kilometers await the participants, during which they will move to the city of Úla. There will be rapid rocky passages on the track again, before the dune field comes to an end. “The decision will be made there,” predicts competition director David Castera.
How will the Czechs deal with the pitfalls this time?
