In the second fast stage, Loprais stayed close with the leaders of the race. He finished 5^th and became 6th place overall.

The Stage in San Rafael was more substantial than the initial warm-up menu. The 295 km long special, which followed the poisonous, almost 500 km long shift, competitors climbed to an altitude of 2000 meters and the reservation Nihuil, know also the first dune mountains. The local gray dunes are the traditional coloring of this South American Dakar. Ales started the stage from 10^th position until he gradually improved. The third checkpoint he was eighth, but then accelerated stage and finished fifth, just 6 minutes behind winner Gerard de Rooy, who his bonneted Iveco Powerstar had to chase a stage victory with MAN Franz Echter , but he lost at the end of 20 minutes and fell in the overall pořadí. The race was a hard battle between two teams: Iveco de Rooy and Veka MAN. Their duel, however, was eventually shared by the young pilots Kamaz, Nikolayev and Ajrat Mardějev who broke into the first quad of overall standings, Ales is followed. Gradually, however, recruit additional delays – going well so far lost Dutchman van Ginkel and van den Brink and the GINAF, Echter said.

The third stage in San Juan will offer again very short, only 203 km long special with quite a technical course in the foothills of the Andes. Broken profile special, slow, could collide with the ambitions of the rather fast Dutch crews. We’ll see whether it will suit the traditional Tatra chassis.

Dakar 2012 begins: the first stage Ales finishes 10th.
   
Initial stage of the Mar del Plata in Santa Rosa offered a light menu in the form of 57 km long special on the sea shore, which, however, going into slightly inland to small dunes.  Ales started with the number 501 as the second order in the Russian Eduard Nikolaev. Throughout the test he did not go quite fully utilized and specialwith his new crew.  The slowing down of the first two leading crews took advantage of riders starting behind them. Fast cars and Dutch teams took the first rangs of the total order. Marcel Van Vliet won the Gerard de Rooy, Franz Echter and Miki Biasionem. We have long seen the Dakar stage without Kamaz in the first five, the fifth place was also netovární of Kazakh team Astana.

The first Tatra Phoenix has arrived in NL for testing. It will be supplied by selected DAF dealers

Text: http://www.bouwmachineweb.com/reportages/46-impressies/1956-gespot-tatra-phoenix-in-nederland.html

Photos: http://www.bouwmachineweb.com/fotos/thumbnails.php?album=178

Have a look at the 2012 Tatra events calendar.

Most urgent subject is the subscription of the 2012 TFI meeting in Zbiroh/CZ, which closes in the third week of January!

http://www.tatraworld.nl/events-calendar/

Ales Loprais was able to finally forget about his 10th stage retirement at the 2011 Dakar Rally when he went to Russia later the same year and won the Silk Way Rally, held in Kamaz’s own backyard. As well as proving his Tatra truck can match the Kamaz machines, the Czech driver also has a family pedigree at the Dakar that simply must be respected. Karel Loprais, a multiple Dakar champion, is Ales’ uncle. Ales has a long way to go before he can match his achievements but he is determined to stay in the hunt up right up until the finish. This will mean a relaxed 32nd birthday for Ales on the ninth stage. To fully focus on a successful Dakar, Ales has even quit his other passion of downhill skiing. Sharing the Tatra with Ales will be mechanic Petr Almasi and navigator Ernst Michal. The Tatra truck for the 2012 Dakar is said to be lighter, more aerodynamic and more reliable than the model that raced last year.

http://loprais.cz/loprais/index.php?obsah=clanky

Loprais won’t be the only Tatra. Not less than four other Tatras will compete:

http://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2011/12/tatras-streamliners-yesterdays-car-of.html