For his 9th Dakar, Ales Loprais is perhaps at a turning point in his career. Although there has not really been a falling-out with the Tatra brand that has shaped his family’s long history (6 Dakars won by his uncle Karel), the most consistent Czech driver of the modern era will be taking starter’s orders in a MAN truck!

Just before entering the technical scrutineering circuit, Ales showed that he has already dealt with the sentimental side of a change in colours: “The family name is definitively linked to Tatra, but now I’m embarking on a new journey, and for me it’s an entirely positive step.

More:http://www.motorsport.com/dakar/news/ales-loprais-for-me-it-s-an-entirely-positive-step/

“After the last Dakar, where Artur Ardavichus introduced a brand new Tatra Jamal, I promised to construct two more trucks. We really managed to construct and prepare them for the Dakar. I am glad that from the technical and development point of view, we can be compared with the best ones. I would like to thank everyone who participated in the construction of the trucks and preparing the technical base of the team before leaving for Dakar,” said Tomáš Vrátný, the chief of the team and the pilot of the Czech-Slovak team crew. Together with him, the Slovak navigator Jaroslav Miškolci and Milan Holáň, the on-board mechanic and the main team technician, will present themselves in the cabin of the new bonneted special Tatra Jamal.

The second team crew will consist of the Kazakh-Czech trio composed of Artur Ardavichus, who occupied the excellent third place in 2012, while representing the Kamaz team, the navigator Alexey Nikizhev, and the on-board mechanic Daniel Kozlovský. The third racing special of the Bonver Dakar Project team will be driven by Robert Jan Szustkowski. This talented Polish racing driver will be accompanied by the navigator Jaroslaw Kazberuk and the on-board mechanic Filip Škrobánek.

More: http://www.bonverdakarproject.com/the-biggest-czech-team-bonver-dakar-project-is-heading-for-the-dakar-rally-2015-with-a-renowned-asset

http://www.lidovky.cz/vuz-tatra-87-hanzelky-a-zikmunda-byl-v-lucerne-jeden-den-na-premiere-1c9-/video.aspx?c=A140903_223907_ln-video_ele#utm_source=clanek.lidovky&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=a-souvisejici.clanky.clicks

http://www.praguepost.com/czech-news/42322-complete-list-of-award-recipients-of-oct-28

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanzelka_and_Zikmund

T 700 designer Geoff Wardle was in attendance of the show, here photographed with the Greenstein/ DeLyser T 87

CAR CLASSIC SERVES AS A REMINDER THAT BEHIND EVERY BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED CAR IS AN INNOVATIVE AND TALENTED DESIGNER—ONE MOST LIKELY EDUCATED AT ART CENTER COLLEGE OF DESIGN. FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS, ART CENTER’S CAR CLASSIC EVENT HAS EXAMINED AUTOMOTIVE CULTURE AND VEHICLE ARCHITECTURE THROUGH THE LENS OF DESIGN. MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER HIGH-PROFILE CAR SHOW, THIS POPULAR PUBLIC EVENT CELEBRATES THE VERY BEST IN AUTOMOTIVE DESIGN, SHOWCASING THE COLLEGE’S STRONG TIES TO INDUSTRY AND HONORING MANY OF OUR NOTEWORTHY ALUMNI.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/100443648@N05/15623490496/

http://carstories.com/2014/10/street-screen-art-center-car-classic/

The preparations for upcoming Rallye Dakar are approaching.

This race represent the turning point for Ales, the InstaForex Loprais Team driver, since he will start at Rallye Dakar 2015 in a new truck made by MAN which was prepared in a dutch team VEKA.

In his last performance at successful Rallye Breslau in Poland, he started with his special truck TATRA QUEEN 69, with which he placed 6th overall and won two stages at this year’s Dakar.

Technical official Fabien Calvet rejected the participation of the Queen at Dakar 2015, that is why this change needed to be realized.

Because all the information about the alleged technical differences and the necessities of rebuilding the whole special Queen came only three months before the truck transport to South America, we were forced to find different solution. Dakar is a whole year project and reconstruction of such an complex truck was for us impossible from both technical and financial reasons. Furthermore, our truck has a valid homologation till 2018 and is made from modified series components which allow us to participate at other marathon races such as Silk Way or Africa Eco Race with no problems. Currently we are negotiating the participation of our Tatra and a contract for a new pilot at mentioned Rally Africa Eco Race.

“I am very happy that in such a short period of time we managed to find cooperation with team Veka which provides us with competitive truck MAN for Dakar 2015” said Ales Loprais.

I would like to thank not only the team VEKA for this cooperation, but also the team BUGGYRA with which we started an alliance Loprais Buggyra Dakar Forces with Gyrtech aggregate.

The alliance spirit will continue on the roads as well as in bivouac at Dakar.

The press conference of InstaForex Loprais Team will be held on November 22nd 2014 at Budvar hockey arena in Czech republic.

Introduction of the team crew:
Pilot: Ales Loprais (Czech republic)
Navigator: Ferran Marco Alcayna (Spain)
Mechanic: Jan Van der Vaet (Netherland)

www.loprais.cz/dakar

ZUZANA 2 is an advanced wheeled 155mm self propelled gun howitzer developed by KONŠTRUKTA-Defence and produced by ZTS – ŠPECIÁL primarily for the Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic.

The artillery system is a new version of the 155mm / 45 calibre ZUZANA self propelled howitzer which entered into service with the Slovak Army in 1998. ZUZANA 2 is capable of conducting multiple round simultaneous impact (MRSI) operations.

The howitzer was demonstrated at the International Exhibition of Defence and Security Technologies (IDET) 2011 held in Brno, Czech Republic and at the International Defence Exhibition (IDEB) 2014 in Bratislava, Slovakia.

More: http://www.army-technology.com/projects/zuzana-2-155mm-self-propelled-gun-howitzer/