Martin Macik will start this year’s first event with his time-tested, but improved, Frank truck. In Baja Aragon he will not only compete against his rivals, but also against other trucks from MM Technology, which will have a private shakedown at Camp Nasser before the start of the race.

Private shakedown at Nasser’s

There is never enough practice, which is why the orange and black crew led by pilot Martin Macik trains regularly in the Czech Republic. However, other trucks from the MM Technology workshop will have a special training session at Camp Nasser before the start of Baja Aragon. “We have been working hard at home with Frank, in fact we had our last training session this weekend. But we decided to take other trucks from our workshop to the rough terrain to help our affiliated teams acclimatize before the first race of the season at Camp Nasser. Let’s give them a good stretch. Who knows, maybe even Nasser Al Attiyah himself will come and watch us on July 24th”, says Martin Macik Jr. with a mysterious smile.

Frank is ready to race

Frank’s entry into Baja Aragon may have surprised many, but it is a well thought out move. MM Technology trucks are gradually leaving their home garage and Frank is definitely still a race-ready truck. Martin Macik Jr. explains: “Several of our trucks have changed hands, which is why we decided to take Frank, who we keep upgrading, to Baja Aragon. It basically no longer has anything in common with the truck my dad drove to the Dakar years ago.” Martin Macik Sr. adds: “The development cannot be paused, so the winning truck, Cenda, moved to the Firemen Dakarteam, which already had Arnold from us. That truck has gone to the Tibau Team in Spain for a change and will be driven by an all-female crew. Personally, I’m delighted that our trucks are so popular and I’m curious to see how our factory crew will match up against them in the various races. Especially in the new truck that we will be introducing soon.”

First race of the season will reveal the competition

Frank won’t have it easy, though. Its and crew’s abilities will be tested by the competition in the form of not only rivals, but also five other trucks from the MM Technology workshop, which will start at Baja Aragon. The race takes place between 26-28th July and will offer a hefty portion of kilometres in a relatively short time frame. “The biggest challenge for us will be the high temperatures and of course the mileage. We are keeping Frank in shape, but he still has a manual gearbox, which can be both an advantage and a disadvantage in some conditions. We have moderate expectations, but we want to race and fight. It will definitely be interesting to compete against trucks that belong to the newer evolutions,” says David Svanda, mechanic and a regular member of the MM Technology factory crew.

Moravia will welcome Dakar crews

On the 10th of August, racing crews from the Czech Republic and abroad will gather in the Prerov Gorge, where the major Dakar meeting will take place under the name Dakar Obsessed OPEN AIR. This year’s event will be dedicated to celebrating the Czech success at the Dakar Rally 2024 and visitors can look forward to teams from the truck, car and motorbike categories. In addition to the MM Technology team, Martin Prokop, Martin Michek, David Pabiska and many other Czech rally stars have promised to take part.  Janus van Kasteren and Mitchel van den Brink will be among the foreign guests. This will be an event that no Dakar and rally fan should miss.