The driver Martin Macik, navigator Frantisek Tomasek and mechanic David Svanda from the Big Shock! Racing team won three stage victories and a final 4th place at the 2021 Dakar. They wanted long and technically and navigationally difficult stages and they got exactly what they had wished for. In the end, this year’s demanding nature of the rally probably contributed to their success. They want to beat their score again next year. Charles, the truck developed and built in their own workshops, will undergo further modifications. These should allow him to be even faster and more resilient. There are no changes are on the agenda when it comes to the team and crew; it is hard to imagine a better-organized team. Work and planning for the 2022 Dakar are underway.

The rougher, the better

The Big Shock! Racing team is satisfied with the result of this year’s Dakar. They gained some valuable experience that will help further improvement next year. The assumption was confirmed that the longer and more demanding the Dakar is, the better the Sedlcany team performs. As the competition progresses, the crews grow more tired when it comes to both their mental and physical strength. But thanks to the pleasant atmosphere that prevailed in this team’s bivouac, the sophisticated organisational system which has been worked out down to seemingly insignificant details, and the cooperation of people who have known each other for some time, the Sedlcany crew had boundless energy. “It was one of the toughest Dakar rallies we’ve experienced. We won in three stages, which were among the longest and most technically demanding. That is our strength. At the same time, however, we do not feel that we would be especially exhausted at the finish. On the contrary, we drove in relative peace, the car worked well and, ironically, we did not go full throttle in the stages that we won. When the track is strenuous, we can handle it. We have some wiggle room and we can keep a solid pace for a long time,” Martin Macik said.

Dakar is done, we look forward to the next one!

Traditionally, some crews proclaim at the finish of Dakar to never participate again! But in a few weeks, they forget all the bad memories and start working on the next season of the most demanding motor racing event of the year. Members of the Big Shock! Racing team had no doubt that they would return next year, which will be the 20th Dakar in Martin Macik Sr.’s career. The driver Martin Macik will take part in Dakar for the tenth time at the age of 32. A plan is already being drawn up for the next steps to be taken by the 2022 Dakar. “We analyse what happened during this year’s twelve stages. The development of the car has gone a long way and helped us stay ahead. During last season, when there was not so much racing due to safety measures, we managed to do a lot of work on Charles. The automatic gearbox helped a lot. We know about the little things we still need to tweak, like the steering linkage. But thanks to nineteen years of our own development, we have a truck that is currently the fastest, right after the factory-made Kamaz. We have been getting orders from people interested in renting or buying our vehicles. Jarda Valtr drove one of our trucks this year already. We built a chassis for Maurik van den Heuel’s Dutch team. We also want our truck to be better next year, and, with time, bring back the Dakar Bedouin, but we know that there is still some work that needs to be done,” Martin Macik added. The goal is to have more vehicles at the start. The legendary Liaz, Francis, is still in perfect condition. Martin Macik managed to finish the 2019 Dakar in the 5th place with him. At the same time, everyone suspects that Charles will not be the last racing special to leave the Big Shock! Racing team’s workshops. How quickly it will be possible to further develop the trucks also depends on the support of sponsors, without whom the Dakar participation of the Big Shock! Racing team would not be possible.

The success of the Big Shock! Racing team at this year’s Dakar is the joint work of all its members, partners and fans. Everyone who contributed to it deserves many thanks and a great deal of respect.