While the 2012 edition of the rally will be taking drivers and crews along the western side of the American continent, in Peru, Etienne Lavigne visited Eastern Europe’s competitors this Thursday. The rendezvous had been fixed at Prague, in a land of winners…
This is a place where they collect trophies. In the history of the Dakar, the record of achievements has been greatly marked by Czech drivers. The reception organised in Prague gave the numerous journalists present the opportunity to immerse themselves once again in this reality. Josef Machacek, the five-time quad winner, slightly overshadowed in the last two editions by the Patronelli saga, was able to remind the two brothers, through the intermediary of the media, that they will certainly have to reckon with him in the battle for the title: “I already have a plan for adapting to the engine capacity limitation imposed by the new rules! However, I may also change category, and line up behind the wheel of a single-seater buggy. At the moment it’s 50/50”, the quad ogre stated in a surprising announcement.
On the other hand, there is very little chance that Ales Loprais will one day change category. Totally fired by his passion for trucks, he has proven that his determination to challenge the Kamazs from the cab of his Tatra remains intact. Last January, he pulled off the feat of halting the Russian trucks’ triumphal march for two legs: “And next year I will make sure that I am in a position to be able to do even better. Moreover, we will have a second truck on the race, which will have a rapid assistance role”. Until his time comes, for the moment, the heir to the dynasty is satisfied with acting as a most worthy representative of his uncle Karel, who won the Dakar on six occasions between 1988 and 2001. This winning campaign’s signatories were awarded the Dakar medal by Etienne Lavigne, for their work as a whole!
