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
We have been informed that Dutchman Marcel Scoo and his Tatra Phoenix crashed in the 6th stage. They got lost, drove backwards and landed in a dune pan. The roll cage was damaged as is its body. The truck runs and the team has decided to head for Santiago (Chile), the finish of the Dakar. Schoo and his crew are unhurt.
http://www.dakarteamholland.nl/index.php?op=viewpage&page=151&mod_op=show_item&content_id=194&return_op=main
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.
Pilot our Tatras to it expresses: “Well, it was a close one. We almost not even believed that the target to get there. 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).
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.
9.1.2013
NEWSLETTER INSTAFOREX LOPRAIS TEAM
After the technical issues, the sixth but the gold!
At the beginning of the Dakar Rally, the difficult stage is switched by another one, even the harder. Yesterday, during the stage many crews failed. The difficulty of the stage hosted by the desert in the fourth day even escalates. During the most important first weeks stage the competitors had to complete the 2 km long extremely hard acclivity, which is probably more difficult than the famous Dakar downhill of the sand hill into the Iquiqe in Chille in the ninth stage of the Dakar 2012.
Aleš got with his result and the sixth place in the stage to the leading of the Dakar 2013 in the trucks category! There are more reasons, why did this happen. The stage was leveled, all the top drivers had their times fitted in the half an hour. Plus the Dutch driver De Rooy had firstly bad luck, because he ended in the finish behind our Aleš. The time difference is only 56 seconds, nonetheless the crew 503 and also the Princess 503 is in the most precious and the most beautiful place as they can be. The stage did mostly fit to the Russian crews in the Kamaz. Mardeev won the race right before his fellow countryman Karginov and Nikolaev was the fourth.
However, the driver of InstaForex Loprais Team, Aleš Loprais, was not satisfied after finishing the race: ”Todays stage was really interesting! High dunes, dried riverbeds, the first cactuses and the soft sand called the fesh. I tried to keep my pace, but also not rush and not mindlessly attack the lead. We do not have the back up, I mean the fast assistance as the De Rooy or other teams have. We did the whole special stage well unless one small trouble. About hundred kilometers until the finish we got broken the front damping, so I had to slow down. I was afraid, that I will pluck the wheel.”
Wars Aleš about the first technical problems of the Princess 69 a adds with smile: ” I have been fondling the Princess on the driving wheel and I have been telling her, to survive. But he hits in the cabin were uncomfortable in my back is hurting now. The crew is fine, we are gonna recover in the afternoon and the Princess will get new damping. But we are having very long connection distance in front of us and we will work on it after that.” Said goodbye todays golden Aleš Loprais from InstaForex Loprais Team!
A the end the words of Karel Loprais were true: “It is important to stay concentrated during the whole stage. To pay attention to all the troubles waiting in this hard landscape. Plus the crew must expect the heat, which will be hard even for the technic.”
Actual photos: http://www.loprais.cz/dakar/en/photogallery/126-dakar-2013
Lucie Houthoofdtová
Spectators watch as co-pilots Czech Republic’s Tomas Vratny, Miskolci Jaroslav and Milan Holan compete with their Tatra truck during the 3rd stage of the Dakar Rally 2013 from Pisco to Nazca, on January 7.
After stage 3, he was 14th overall, but is struggling in the 4th stage, having passed the last CP in 30th position.
http://www.tradearabia.com/news/PIC_228563.html
