A very fast stage from Wadi Ad-Dawasir to Riyadh ended the first third of the 43rd edition of Dakar Rally 2021. The 4th stage of the competition suited Buggyra Racing drivers well and they all are looking forward to the next challenges.
Wednesday’s stage was a big reminder of last year’s Dakar that so many drivers complained about. Just with a throttle pedal to the floor and flying over the stage. But, after the challenges from previous days, it was a nice change. Tomáš Enge had a good run without any technical hiccups. And even though he had to start from the back, he managed to take 7th place in his category.
“All good. I only stopped once to check the rear axle, because we drove in soft sand and the car was moving from side to side. I didn’t like that, but it was all good. Even though we had a good run yesterday, the organisers didn’t let us start in time that we expected. We were delayed by 15 minutes and many competitors got ahead of us. But the Dakar is great,” said satisfied Tomáš.
On the other hand, Josef Macháček had to deal with unexpected issues even before the start of the stage. He finished with a 40-minute loss,
And the Tatra Buggyra Racing drivers also enjoyed some good pace. The best four trucks of the day finished within 20 seconds of each other! Ignacio Casale then took the glory today as the best Buggyra driver, but it did not come until the very end.
“Today, it was actually our first day without any technical issues. This stage was similar to the last year’s event, with a 140 kph run from start to finish. We did 200 kilometres behind Ignacio and Jaroslav Valtr before we got ahead of them both in dunes. We caught up with a Kamaz just before the end, but there was a lot of dust. We then got lost and had to go back. But it wasn’t too bad, I’m satisfied with today’s stage.”
Martin Šoltys finished in 7th place, just behind his teammate Ignacio Casale.
“By the end of the stage, we got close to a Kamaz. But we decided, with Alvaro, to slow down and focus on the navigation. And that actually was a good decision. The Tatra is working well, and it’s just the manual transmission that’s making it a bit more difficult for us in the dunes,” said the 6th fastest man in the Trucks standings.
“The pace is huge, and every mistake is very costly. Both Tatras are among the fastest trucks and run without any serious issues. Ignacio is really enjoying his truck debut and he’s showing an unbelievable performance, he and Martin are pushing forward. The main goal is to always make it to the bivouac. Tomáš and Josef are fighters, but we’re still not even halfway through yet. The results don’t matter until the end,” summed up Jan Kalivoda, the Buggyra Racing press officer.
On Thursday, the crews will drive from Riyadh to Al Qaisumah. This 456-kilometre-long stage promises dunes and some stones as well.