Martin Macík (Iveco) won the third stage victory at the 46th edition of the Dakar Rally. He increased his lead in the standings, although he received a 1:30 minute penalty. In the evaluation of cars, Martin Prokop (Ford) improved to sixth place. An interesting situation occurred in the motorcycle category, where the first two riders were separated by just one second!
The first part of the stage, which opened the second part of the competition, featured a canyon maze with constant changes of direction. Accomplished dune surfers let their skills do the talking in an intense dune section. 873 kilometers awaited the participants of the competition, of which 483 were measured.
Shrek got angry for the first time
Prokop even started the stage, which crossed some sections full of stones from the beginning of the competition, in fourth place. But then there were problems with the engine, which the co-driver eventually managed and finished in twelfth place. However, he advanced to sixth place, which is the maximum for a Czech competitor from 2019 and 2023. At the time, the second-placed Swede Mattias Ekström (Audi RS Q e-tron) had technical problems, who stopped at the 47th kilometer with technical problems and lost over four o’clock. His troubles benefited not only Prokop, but also the Frenchman Sébastien Loeb (Prodrive Hunter), who won the stage and reduced his time deficit to the leader of the Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Audi RS Q e-tron) to exactly nineteen minutes.
“It was a brutal and extremely long stage. We got busy with rocky terrain and it was difficult to navigate from the beginning. In the middle of the stage, Shrek (the car) got angry for the first time, started hiccups, and the engine cut out. We reduced the power to a minimum, disconnected the injection and somehow it drove, albeit terribly slowly. We couldn’t get over the dunes and two Toyotas overtook us. We reset everything in neutral and it worked better. So I’m glad we took Shrek to the mechanics. In the last part, we still enjoyed the rough navigation when we had to go back several times, but in the end we managed to deal with it and were able to overtake a few cars with which we were hanging around there,” Prokop evaluated the course of Sunday’s section.
Czech trucks are holding on
Macík rode continuously in third place from the beginning of the stage, he got to second at the 341st kilometer and in the end he took advantage of the hesitation of the Dutchman Mitch van den Brink. “It didn’t quite fit me this time, I didn’t feel completely in my own skin. From the beginning we flew together with Mitch and in the dunes he continued to burn it at full speed and bounced a bit. Then his navigator made a mistake and we took advantage of that,” Macík described the course of the day.
Aleš Loprais retained the second place in the standings, who was in second place for a long time according to the times from the checkpoints. In the end, however, he lost some time, and he still has less than fifteen minutes to spare on Van den Brink, who is third in the provisional classification.
Romančík gave the bike to a friend
In the motorcycle category, we have witnessed a gesture that deserves recognition. At the 61st kilometer, Milan Engel had to stop with a cracked rosette on the rear wheel, although he received a new one from the mechanics during the rest day. He was stopped by Jaromír Romančík, who was driving after technical problems with a large penalty. “Since this morning I have had problems with electricity again. I was tired at the crossing, but I wanted to gain experience. So I started with a penalty of 35 minutes and then I saw a Milan woman (Engla) standing with a cracked rosette. I didn’t hesitate at all and gave him the bike so he could continue and finish the race. I have nothing left to lose. I just hope that he succeeds and reaches the finish line,” Romančík commented on his generous gesture.
Dušan Drdaj, another Czech motorcyclist, was also satisfied, riding with a big penalty after problems with the rear tank. “The whole day was fun and I enjoyed it. I’m happy to be racing again. I started in the morning as the penultimate and met Jára (Romančík) with a broken bike. He told me that he had given Milan a bike and that I should follow him. If something happens to him, I’d give him some parts too. It showed me 28th place at the finish line, which is great,” said Drdaj at the finish line.
The best Czech motorcyclist Martin Michek (Orion – Moto Racing Group) sprained his left wrist during the rest day and finished the stage eleventh. He steadily moved up to tenth place. “It took a lot of strength and a lot of psyche. At the 40th kilometer I had a fall, almost hit some bigger rocks. I’m a little scratchy. But the hand held on. Now we mainly need luck and a bit of well-being so that we can do it and reach the finish line,” Michek described his impressions of the stage.
According to the official website of the competition, the upcoming day will be full of sharp contrasts and somewhat easier than the previous stage. The special goes to the north of the country to another sandy section. A noticeable change in the environment will remind you of the need to stay alert. Here, the sand will give way to rocks, creating a very rugged terrain. Participants will have to do a lot of zigzagging to avoid the frequent threats of punctures on the way to Ha’il.
Results – 7th stage
Motorcycles: 1. Cornejo Florimo (Chile/Honda) 5:18:33; 2. K. Benavides (Arg./KTM) +32; 3. L. Benavides (Arg./Husqvarna) +3:12; … 11. Michek (CZ/KTM) +16:23; 28. Drdaj (CZ/KTM) +1:11:51; 41. Pabiška (CZ/KTM) 11:24:47; 45. Prokeš (CZ/KTM) +1:35:55; 46. Brabec (CZ/KTM) +1:39:58; 58. Engel (CZ/KTM) +1:57:46; 65. Podmol (CZ/Husqvarna) +2:22:00.
Automobiles: 1. Loeb (Fr./Prodrive Hunter) 4:56:39; 2. Moraes, Monleon (Bras., Fr./Toyota GR DKR Hilux) +7:06; 3. Al-Atija, Bäumel (Qatar, Fr./Prodrive Hunter) +9:47; … 12. Prokop, Chytka (CZ/Ford Raptor) +26:07; 37. Trněny, Ernst (Czech Republic/Ford F 150) +1:24:09; 45. Ouředník, Křípal (CZ/Toyota Hilux GR Overdrive) +2:11:52.
Trucks: 1. Macík (CZ/Iveco) 5:40:52; 2. Van den Brink (Iveco) +39; 3. Loprais (Czech Republic/Prague) +19:28.
Results are unofficial.
Current standings (after stage 7)
Motorcycles: 1. Brabec (USA/Honda) 32:37:20; 2nd Branch (Botswana/Hero) +1; 3. Cornejo Florimo (Chile/Honda) +6:48; … 10. Michek (CZ/KTM) +1:43:21; 22. Engel (CZ/KTM) +4:56:44; 24. Brabec (CZ/KTM) +5:18:06; 43. Prokeš (CZ/KTM) +9:57:53; 44. Pabiška (CZ/KTM) +9:59:21; 59. Podmol (CZ/Husqvarna) +13:28:38.
Automobiles: 1. Sainz, Cruz (Sp./Audi RS Q e-tron) 30:06:42; 2. Loeb (Fr./Prodrive Hunter) +19:00; 3. Moraes, Monleon (Bras., Fr./Toyota GR DKR Hilux) +1:00:35; … 6. Prokop, Chytka (CZ/Ford Raptor) +1:50:40; 28. Trněny, Ernst (Czech Republic/Ford F 150) +10:41:42; 44. Ouředníček, Křípal (ČR/Toyota Hilux) +59:56:20.
Trucks: 1. Macík (CZ/Iveco) +34:40:10; 2. Loprais (Czech Republic/Prague) +1:36:10; 3. Van den Brink (Iveco) +1:50:38.
Results are unofficial.
2024-01-14 18:05:00
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