Dakar 2024: Aleš Loprais & Instaforex Loprais Praga Team celebrates second place overall

Jan 19, 2024

The long wait is over. Aleš Loprais returns to the Dakar Rally podium in the truck category. After 15 daring attempts, lots of hard work, great performances, but also too much bad luck, he can finally enjoy the reward and satisfaction. After the previous third place in 2007, when Dakar was still in Africa, he now adds a silver-finishing position in Saudi Arabia. For his navigator Jaroslav Valtr Jr. and mechanic Jiří Stross, it is their first Dakar Rally trophy.

It was the fifth Dakar Rally start for the red and black Praga V4S DKR truck. The Czech crew #602 was fighting at the top of the truck category from the beginning. After finishing second in the prologue, the team dropped to fourth place after the first stage. However, it took the crew only a day to return to the top 3 positions, and they never left them again.

At the end of the Dakar Rally, Aleš Loprais, with Jaroslav Valtr Jr. and Jiří Stross, proved their pace by taking two stage victories. After yesterday’s success, there was nobody faster in the final stage either. The last twelfth stage, which took place on Friday, January 19, had a 174-kilometre-long special stage around Yanbu. The Czech team won by a minute and a half ahead of Jaroslav Valtr Sr.

In the final truck classification, Aleš Loprais and his crew finished in second place overall. The Instaforex Loprais Praga Team lost one hour and 54 minutes to the winner Martin Macík Jr. and beat Mitchel van den Brink in third position by two and a half hours.

“It’s tough to rate it all so shortly after finishing. Sure, I’m going to need some time, but I’m certain about one thing: hats off to everyone in the team. The whole crew welded together very quickly and worked hard throughout the whole rally. Thanks, guys,” says Jaroslav Valtr Jr., appreciating the team’s effort.

“For me personally, it’s the first finished Dakar, so that’s good. But I’d wish, for Aleš, that it was that one place better,” he smiles.

For Aleš Loprais, it was his eighteenth Dakar Rally start and his ninth finish in the top 10. After two seventh, two sixth, two fifth, one fourth, and one third place, he adds his best result to date with a second position.

“First, I’d like to thank the whole team for their great effort and our families, partners and fans for their incredible support. We really appreciate it. For me personally, it was a difficult return after last year’s Dakar Rally, so I’m glad that me and the crew have made it. I had wished to finish even better, but that wasn’t possible. But I’m grateful for the result, and big thanks to everyone,”says Aleš Loprais.

Did you know…

…Aleš Loprais, Jaroslav Valtr Jr. and Jiří Stross have not only achieved a great result for the Instaforex Loprais Praga Team but together with Martin Macík and his crew, they have also got one of the two Czech best results in the history of Dakar Rally in the truck category?

Only once in the Dakar Rally history, the Czech crews took the first two places in the truck category. It was 36 years ago, back in 1988 when Aleš Loprais’ uncle Karel took his first win together with Radomír Stachura and Tomáš Mück in a four-wheel Tatra. They won ahead of the Liaz crew of Jiří Moskal, Pavel Záleský and František Vojtíšek.

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