The penultimate 11th Dakar stage led the Big Shock Racing team back to the original bivouac in Haradh. It was the second marathon stage, following the night spent in a bivouac in the middle of the desert without the team mechanics, where the drivers had to cover all repairs themselves. Martin Macik, the yellow truck pilot, got a message that night he had been waiting for several days. His daughter Mia was born in Prague. The new mom and the baby are both doing well and are keeping their fingers crossed for the dad. Not surprisingly, the yellow truck crew reached the finish in the 5th place in the current stage and is back in the TOP 5 in the overall ranking.

The fearless motorcyclist Jan Brabec did not have a completely calm marathon night. After Wednesday’s dangerous-looking fall in the dunes, when he broke the handlebars, the repair was declared against the rules and Jan got a 6-hour penalty. But the important thing is that despite all previous health problems and brilliantly managed crashes, the Czech biker bravely continues in the race and for some, he has already won. In today’s 11th stage, he finished in the great 38th place and overall holds the 56th position.      

I’m at the finish and I’m a father

Wednesday night was special for Martin Macik. In the middle of the desert, in a hangar full of snoring fellow racers, where it was incredibly tricky to get some phone reception, he received the best news: back home, his daughter was born. The Czech driver set off charged with new energy into the 11th stage. This may have been reflected in the stage result. He arrived at the finish with his co-drivers Tomasek and Svanda in the wonderful 5th place. “I’m at the end of the penultimate stage of Dakar and I’m a father. Our big, beautiful daughter, Mia Macikova was born. Today we had a perfect stage. Extremely demanding, 379 kilometres of dunes only. We tore off the cabin mount because we jumped a little too much. We went as fast as we could from start to finish. The car worked well. I almost twisted my hands in a pretzel, I kept changing the gear like crazy. Everything went well. Mia was our lucky charm. I am a happy dad and I am happy that it all went well,” Martin Macik cheerfully reported.

Brabec is still fighting

The Big Shock Racing motorcyclist Jan Brabec managed to overcome several pitfalls on the track during the marathon stages. Due to bad reception in both bivouacs, we could not connect with Jan directly. But, according to information from the Big Shock Racing team, after Wednesday’s scary-looking crash in which his handlebars broke, Jan sought assistance with the repair. However, he managed to fix the bike in a way that the rules do not allow. Brabec got a 6-hour penalty, which cost him a few places in the ranking. But the important thing is that he continues in the race, the knee doing well so far, and there is only one stage left to finish.

Watch the video from the 11th stage!