The third Moroccan stage of the seventh edition of the Africa Eco Race from Tagounite to Assa offered an almost 460-kilometer special stage that was again full of technically challenging sections. After a brisker start and a technical passage full of navigational changes, the competitors headed into the more than twenty-kilometer dune field Chegaga Erg. Due to the heavy rainfall in recent weeks, the competition directorate strongly advised against driving over Lake Iriki . The remaining kilometers offered a cocktail of dry lakes, sandy stretches, stony roads, canyons, dry riverbeds and fords, just a little bit of everything.
The New Year's Eve celebrations in the bivouac took place in a rather intimate spirit. At midnight, a red flare appeared in the sky and slowly fell down, letting everyone who was still awake at the time know that 2014 had just become the past. After a traditionally cold night, when temperatures again attacked zero, the competitors were greeted by a sun-drenched blue sky. Tomečka's Tatra started the race according to the results from the previous day as the second truck, followed by a pack of Russian Kamaz .
What was today's stage in Tomáš Tomeček 's eyes? " The difficulty is increasing, the car took a lot of work today. Due to the strong vibrations, some elements of the superstructure started to crack, but that's nothing we can't deal with. I'm glad we're at the finish line because today was really long and challenging. I am satisfied with the result achieved. We didn't make any navigational or driving mistakes, but it still wasn't enough for Kamaz today ."
Tomečko's navigator Ladislav Lála says: " I was especially looking forward to Africa for the dune fields. Tomáš drives a lot with his head and is able to save the car even when driving very briskly. Before entering the dune field, we passed a duo of circling Kamaz, which immediately hung behind us. In the dunes, we distanced ourselves from our Russian rivals and after a while even overtook Elisabeth Jacinto, who started ahead of us today ."
A few tens of kilometers further on, the Kamazes were able to use the potential of the excellently functioning damping on a flat broken section and moved to the front. " I'm happy for the competition, and when I see how aggressively the Kamaz can drive, I immediately think of where else we could push the Tatra. Of course, it is mainly about shock absorbers. When I look at the starting field, almost everyone is riding shock absorbers of the same brand. "
Kamaz deployed two crews at the Africa Eco Race and has by far the largest team in the bivouac, numbering three dozen people. An interesting feature is the Kamaz with starting number 404, which is a diesel / CNG hybrid .
" Tomas drove really well today and very sporty ," concludes navigator Lála. " When overtaking, he is especially considerate of motorcyclists and reacts without delay to the sentinel's call, which is requested by a faster rival to allow him to overtake. Several rivals across the starting field acknowledged this with thanks. I'm glad that I'm in the cabin with Tomáš, even though after three days I feel like I've been beaten… well, I've never really washed much ."
The fourth special stage leading from Assa to As Sakn promises almost 379 sharp kilometers.
Source: Tomáš Tomeček
