The fourth stage leading from Assa to As Sakn offered almost 379 sharp kilometers and race director René Metge described it as one of his favourites. After a brisker start, diversified by traditional Moroccan ditches, holes, humps and shutters, the space opened up and the stony ground was replaced by sand. The trial section was also interesting, but it was somewhat narrower, especially for trucks. However, the view of the open countryside was a sweet reward for those who made it this far.
How did Tomáš Tomeček see today's stage? " I'm probably going to repeat myself, but since we're in Morocco, it was another smash, as it should be. We got the car too. Tatra with starting number 400 was able to be very fast at the beginning of the stage, however, before the twentieth kilometer, one of the red warning lights came on, signaling engine overheating, and the atmosphere in the cabin suddenly became serious. " We had a problem with the cooling of the engine, the temperature shot up to 220 degrees Celsius and we had to stop willy-nilly. Several options came into consideration, and we really wished that it wasn't the first thing that came to mind, " continues Tomeček. Fortunately, the temporary repair worked and the Tatra started again. Those who follow her movements online thanks to Iritrack suddenly had a heart drop. Meanwhile, however, several other trucks and cars drove by.
" We just made it a little more interesting at the beginning, " navigator Ladislav Lála returns to the situation with the overheated engine. “ Pretty soon we came across Elisabeth Jacinto standing on a long straight stretch about two hundred meters beyond a dangerous bump in terrain. A little later, Tomáš overtook Kovacs' Scania off the track. It was a bit wilder ride, which even the torn fire extinguisher wanted to see from the cabin .
Tomeček drove his standard pace and after passing the last control point the crew was already looking forward to the finish line. Tomečka's navigator describes the end of the stage as follows: "The changes in the itinerary did not include the azimuth in one problematic place. Fortunately, we found out fairly early that something was wrong. The tracks of the truck obviously caught the attention of many of Tomečka's rivals, who went in the wrong direction at this problematic location.
" The end is good, everything is good ," Tomeček summarizes his feelings about today and continues immediately. "The damping does not allow us to go even faster on broken sections. It's a pretty wild ride already. Despite the partial problems, I am satisfied with today's result. Láďa did a good job and the fact that we were second at the finish line is proof of that ."
The fifth race day will include a stage from As Sakn to Dakhla . The Africa Race caravan will therefore still be moving on Moroccan soil. The program includes a 225 km long special stage, ending with a 532 km connecting stage. For the third day in a row, the stage will start from the bivouac, which is of course good news for all competitors. The organizers promise a very brisk introduction, beautiful panoramas of southern Morocco and difficult navigation. After arriving on the Atlantic coast, a well-deserved day off awaits everyone, followed by a transfer to Mauritania .
Source: Tomáš Tomeček
