As most 2013 classic car dates are known by now, here is the 2013 calendar!

Either click on http://www.tatraworld.nl/events-calendar/ or visit the events calender in the right side bar.

Still winter, but the Tatra rally season starts soon.

The annual TFI rally will be held in Berlin this year on its traditional Ascension weekend.

http://www.tatraclub.at/

What is wrong with having success in the truck category? Loprais suffered from battery and electrical problems  the day after het had gained the overall lead and now Hans Stacey (Iveco) crashed his Iveco the day after he won the 5th stage. Stacy approached the top of a dune too fast and rolled over, damaging his truck severly. After a two hour repair he miracuously continued, but after making it to the finish, his truck was disqualified by the rally organisation, his roll cage damaged severely. The crew is unhurt.

photos of all truck partcipants:

http://www.ttm.nl/nieuws/id32473-fotos-stacey-en-schoo-crashen-uit-dakar.html

11.1.2013

NEWSLETTER INSTAFOREX LOPRAIS TEAM
Wandering Atacama and our crew with the Princess 69 back on the top of the stage

The first speed test in Chile took the participants of the race back to the Atacama Desert. Two thirds of the track they faced sand and dunes. In the other part the racers meet again very fine fesh-fesh sand. Day was very demanding especially after complications, which Aleš, Serge and Radim had thursday. The crew, mechanics and the entire support staff did not sleep much. They tried to find a fault as soon as possible, its removal was delayed until the early morning hours. Aleš was disappointed, the great fight took place also within. The more important and admirable is what took place in the sixth and long stage.

Aleš with the Princess 69 and the crew fought again. In the 438 km he lost for the stage winner just 1:45 min, most of the race he moved ahead him and close second. The great performance was in the end good enough for the fourth best time after the first De Rooy, second Karginov from the Russia and third Versluis from the Netherlands. Distances were in this so long and demanding stage minimal. At the continuous evaluation of the contest is our crew number 503 on the sixth place with the loss of one hour and 51 minutes. The fifth place is not far away for today. The Dakar Rally continues, it’s a long race and of course very treacherous for all and at all times. Unfortunately today was also marked by two accidents. Schoo with Tatra and Stacey with Ivec crashed. Stacey continues in the rally, Schoo ended.

“Today it was very difficult. We swallowed big amount of dust, because we had to start relatively late because of yesterdays problems. So we were driving in dust clouds and had to, sometimes on the edge of the risk, overtake the vehicles in front of us. We were close to win the stage, in the middle of the speed trial we were losing only a few second to the Kamaz. Unfortunately 150 km before the finish our 3 dampers stopped working. However, the overall 1,5 minute loss meant moving from the current 8th place to the 6th. Thanks to that, we are more optimistic than yesterday after the losing the winning place because of the technical problems. We are still fighting!” said after the stage Aleš Loprais.

Tomorrow there is the Calama – Salta stage waiting for the crews, with its 218 km long speed trial and 417km long connection section. The whole stage is driving in high place, about 3500 meters above sea level. The first part are going to be dust dunes and the rest of the stage is driving mainly on the rocky road. This difficult terrain made a lot of troubles to many crews, especially in the cars category.

We appreciate your awesome support and wish you good Friday. We are saying goodbye trough words of Aleš “Thank you for the support and I am greeting everyone from all of us!”

Lucie Houthoofdtová

After problems on the special stage, Eduard Nikolaev loses ground on the first place held by Gerard De Rooy. However, 18′40″ is still a gap that does not allow the leader to relax, just like the 30′32″ that separates the Dutchman from Ayrat Mardeev or the 38′31″ between the race leader and Martin Kolomy. It is from fifth place held by Andrey Karginov that the differential with the leader exceeds the one hour mark: 1:22′32″ for the Russian and 1:56′10″ for Czech driver Ales Loprais. The gap is even above two hours for seventh placed Pieter Versluis who is battling with his for position with his team-mate (Man) Marcel Van Vliet.

Arica (Chile) – Loprais  lost the lead in the truck category, about 10 km before the finish had to stop and solve electrical problems with his battery.  Passing Martin Kolomy gave him a brand new battery, but the loprais team could not get the truck going.  He only could continue afterc fellow country man Marek Spáčil towed him to the finish, Loprais making it just in time.

Ales loprais commented:  ”Well, it was a close one. We almost not even believed that we could make it. For a long time we were looking for a problem, because we went on a car battery, alternator, as well as 4×4. Unfortunately, it can be crucial to Dakar. In addition, the car stopped and it was not cool to boot. Even though we are stuck in a relatively easy terrain. The car became immobile just 20 km before the finish. Our only salvation was to become another Czech Marek Spáčil that deserves praise and gratitude. He was able to tighten our goals at the expense of their own time. Thanks to him we can still continue in the competition. “

Again, we recognize words of Karl Loprais. About how he can be sneaky Dakar that the leadership in that part of the competition does not mean anything. “There are problems that we can do something, but unfortunately, electronics and electrical wiring, the car is one of the worst defects that could ever happen to us. We lost almost two hours and thus lead in the competition. Nothing is lost! The mechanics immediately begin looking for the cause and no one wants to accept the fact that it should be in the contest ending. Holt’s is Dakar. We heard that the original information was, defect, but it is not. Only the resinous electricity. ” Conforms sad Ales before leaving the bivouac.

Fortunately, the whole team is full of fighters and work through the night until the morning, managed to repair the defect and it is possible to continue in the race. The following is the sixth stage and long 438 km special was and, moreover, 291 km long crossing. It will be very difficult after yesterday, especially the beginning and the end of the sixth stage. First, a tough terrain, which will rise and fall, a real roller coaster. Then pick up speed again and at the end the crew must grapple with the proper pitch to almost two and a half kilometers altitude above sea level.

We wish Alex all the best for today’s birthday, Princess 69 and Mark umoudření SPÁČIL thanks for all the wishes (and a lot too much).

They changed the average speed of the competitors who had to weave in relief from valley to valley. The heavy phase is reflected in the navigation. This was not a problem of our crew. What really bothered her was the Princess 69, which pretty stubbornly stood head 20 km before the finish. Failure means electrics overall eighth place in the stage of decline at the 62 place and loss of 1:57:53.

More news as soon as it becomes available

The absence of Gerard de Rooy (Iveco) from the top of the truck general standings did not last long. He has got back to business after today’s third place finish. He leads the Kamaz driven by Eduard Nikolaev by 5′33″ and that of Ayrat Mardeev by 17′06”. Czech driver Martin Kolomy (Tatra) occupies fourth place 31′18″ behind the leader, whilst Hans Stacey (Iveco) returns to the top five 50′20″ behind his team leader. Ales Loprais, still currently stuck on the special stage, is in the processe of tumbling down the standings.

After his misfortunes two days ago, Hans Stacey (Iveco) has made up for it today by winning the special stage with a time of 2:07′34″ in front of Eduard Nikolaev’s Kamaz (1′53″ behind). Also fighting back, the Iveco Petronas team leader, Gerard De Rooy (2′32″ behind Stacey) has grabbed third place in front of two other Kamaz trucks driven by Ayrat Mardeev (2′34″ behind the winner) and Andrey Karginov (3′05 behind). The first Tatra belongs to Czech driver Martin Kolomy, in fifth place, 3′54″ behind the stage leader.

Just before the 162-km point, with the finishing line in sight, Ales Loprais’ GPS is signalling that he has been at a standstill for several minutes. Slightly off the track, the Czech driver has not signalled any technical problems so may be stuck in the sand… As a result, he will lose first place in the truck category general standings.