Martin Šoltys is forging ahead in the Dakar Rally after the third stage

Martin Šoltys from Tatra Buggyra ZM Racing team took fifth place in today's third stage of the Dakar Rally and moved up to eighth in the truck standings.

MONACO, FRANCE, January 7, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Buggyra ZM Racing's Aliyyah Koloc, only 20 years old, continues to fight fiercely in the elite Ultimate category of the cars. She finished 28th in the stage and holds the same position overall. Šoltys' teammate Karel Poslední finished 12th today and now is 15th overall.

Martin Šoltys recovered from an extreme and physically exhausting two-stage Chrono48 today. "It was was great today. Unlike Chrono48, I really enjoyed it. It was rough at the beginning. The whole stage was full of rocks. That's why we had to be careful. The worst part was overtaking the Can-Ams. We also passed about five trucks. But nobody wants to let you through. They're all going full speed, so you have to cram in next to them," he described the truck driver's predicament.

His Tatra Buggyra EVO3 worked perfectly and survived the stage without any major damage. "We thought we had a puncture, but all we had to do was fix the hose. That was a small thing," the rider said.

Aliyyah Koloc continues to successfully battle her male rivals. Today she relied on tactical driving and, looking at Sébastien Loeb's broken car, confirmed to herself that it was a good choice.

"The start was pretty rocky. We started at the back, so it was very dusty. Trucks and some cars came past us, and we got caught by a lot of buggies. Luckily, we didn't have any punctures. It was slower than yesterday, so I'm happy," she said with a smile at the finish bivouac, which has moved from Bisha to Al Henakiyah after a few days.

The damaged Dacia of rally legend Loeb was seen by the Red-Lined EVO T1+ crew after a few kilometres of the timed stage. "We saw it right from the start. The track was quite difficult and bumpy due to the uneven terrain. Then something like that can happen. But we drove safely to bring the car to the finish," Aliyyah said.

The other crew member, Sébastien Delaunay, recalled the pitfalls of today's stage. "We drove through a volcanic area with very sharp black rocks. They can slash your tyres in an instant. For the first 100 kilometres, we rode in the dust behind the truck, but then we could step on it. The sand came, and we could overtake a lot there," said the French navigator.

Karel Poslední brought his Tatra Phoenix to the finish line in peace. "It was a brutal smash. We didn't even get out of the car today. Everybody was fixing tyres, but we didn't have to. About 50 kilometres were on fast pistes; it was a blast. We enjoyed the stage," he said happily.

Buggyra Organisation
Buggyra Organisation
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