Martin Šoltys is already fifth after the first part of the marathon challenge

After two stages combined in the Chrono48 format, another challenging test began today at the Dakar Rally.

MONACO, FRANCE, January 8, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The extreme navigation worked best for Martin Šoltys, the pilot of the Tatra Buggyra EVO3, who moved up to an excellent fifth place in the truck standings. Aliyyah Koloc made a strong start and held on to 20th place until the 300th kilometer, but then she had to deal with a half-axle fire on her Red-Lined REVO T1+.

"We had another extremely difficult stage. This year's Dakar is giving everyone an unprecedented challenge. The structure of all the stages and their sequence are exceptionally demanding. But our team is doing a great job and performing as expected," said a satisfied Buggyra principal, Martin Koloc.

Martin Šoltys, driver of the Tatra Buggyra ZM Racing team, navigated the pitfalls of today's fourth stage exceptionally well, finishing in fifth place. His move up in the overall standings was supported by the organizers’ decision to uphold Buggyra's protest. An additional full hour was deducted from Martin’s time in the Chrono48 double stage after confusion with the final results.

Aliyyah Koloc also performed strongly in the first part of the marathon stage, keeping pace with the leaders and maintaining 20th place in the second half of the stage. However, a stone punctured a cuff on the semi-axle of her car, causing it to jam and catch fire. The 20-year-old driver and her navigator, Sébastien Delaunay, successfully replaced the semi-axle and continued, but the incident dropped them to 39th place in today’s elite Ultimate category. Despite this, her otherwise flawless drive moved her up to 26th overall.

Karel Poslední, driving the Tatra Phoenix, also made progress. The Dakar rookie of the Tatra Buggyra ZM Racing team now holds 14th place overall, aided by a 12th-place finish in today’s stage.

"Aliyyah had a very good stage today. She drove at the level of the top fifteen for a long time. Unfortunately, she lost 37 minutes with 150 kilometers to go. Worse than the time loss is the fact that she will have to start from the back tomorrow. Martin Šoltys is driving steadily in the top five. If he keeps this up, he'll have a solid foundation for the second half of the Dakar. Karel Poslední, as a rookie, is still learning but becoming more consistent with each stage. In my opinion, he has a great racing future ahead of him," assessed Martin Koloc, evaluating the Buggyra drivers' performances so far at the 47th Dakar Rally.

Buggyra Organisation
Buggyra Organisation
+377 80094459
buggyra@buggyra.com
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