Irish Motor Sports News – Dakar Rally – Trucks – Tyre tread separation cost Aleš Loprais the lead

Dakar Rally – Trucks – Tyre tread separation cost Aleš Loprais the lead

Jan 09, 2024

The 698-kilometre-long fourth stage of the Dakar Rally 2024 led from Al Salamiya to Al-Hofuf, with 299 kilometres counting as a special stage. While crews of all categories achieved some very high average speeds, they still faced plenty of challenging navigational points and tricky places requiring full concentration.

“Thanks to a victory in yesterday’s stage, we could enjoy the 10-minute gap between the categories today. And that was great. Then we got into a stony passage. It was very dusty there, so we slowed down a little. There we had to look for one specific waypoint, and I must highlight Jaroslav Valtr’s efforts, as we found it thanks to him, and it wasn’t easy. Not everyone managed to do so,”says Aleš Loprais, praising the efforts of his navigator.

The icing on the cake was a 20-kilometre-long section of soft sand and modest dunes at the very end. And while Aleš Loprais usually enjoys the sandy terrain the most, it had a very different flavour today. With only 15 kilometres to go, his truck developed a tyre tread separation issue on the right rear tyre, probably due to extreme loads at a high speed, which was so common for Tuesday’s stage. That forced the #602 Praga V4S DKR truck to stop, and the crew faced their first wheel change of this year’s popular rally raid marathon.

“Right before the end, we got into a beautiful dune field. We had van Kasteren in sight. He got ahead of us in a stony section, but we stayed behind him. However, then we had a tyre tread separation issue. It wasn’t a typical puncture, but we changed it, just in case. Here, I’d like to highlight the efforts of our whole crew, including Jiří, who’s doing a great job. Even after such a difficult stage, we all three together found strength for the hard work, and we changed the wheel in just four and a half minutes, despite it’s always more difficult in the dunes. I’m really enjoying the great atmosphere within the cabin and today’s result. I hope for more days like this,” wishes Loprais, who finished in third place today, eight and half minutes behind the stage winner Janus van Kasteren.

Following Tuesday’s result, last year’s winner, van Kasteren, has returned to the lead in the truck category. However, Aleš Loprais, with Jaroslav Valtr Jr. and Jiří Stross, are in second place after 4 out of 12 stages. They are currently 5 minutes and 17 seconds behind the leading Dutch crew.

While the crew can finally rest at Al-Hofuf’s bivouac, which they need after two marathon stages, the Instaforex Loprais Praga Team mechanics face a long night. Apart from a thorough overall checkup, they will have to look closely at the right rear part of the truck following damage caused by the separated tyre tread. There will be a lot of work, but it is nothing that the skilful hands of the Czech team would not handle.

On Wednesday, January 10, the Dakar Rally 2024 continues with Stage 5 from Al-Hofuf to Shubaytah. While the special stage is only 118 kilometres long, the crews will enjoy the sea of dunes of the Empty Quarter! However, they first need to tackle a 527-kilometre liaison part, which rounds the day’s total to 645 kilometres.

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