Martin Soltys, one of the Big Shock! Racing’s drivers, ends his brave journey through the Dakar rally halfway through. The last two unfinished stages and sore back keep him from continuing. Martin Macik’s crew, standing strong after so far, will be fighting in the second half of the Dakar and try to achieve the best possible results. Charles, their yellow Iveco truck with the number 503, is undergoing full service during the day off and will be ready for Stage 7 on Sunday in top shape.

Martin Soltys returns home

The day off did not bring the Big Shock! Racing good news. After Martin Soltys’ crew failed to finish Stages 5 and 6, the latter of which also required the intervention of an air ambulance, the decision was made that Martin Soltys, Roman Krejci, and Jakub Jirinec would not continue in the rally. According to the first examinations, Martin Soltys is not seriously injured after the crash in Stage 6, but it is not worth risking another bumpy ride with a sore back. The health of all the team members comes first. The whole Big Shock! Racing team believes that Martin will soon regain his full strength. “I was in the bivouac on Friday night for an X-ray, and the local doctor sent me to the hospital for a CT scan. According to the scan, nothing is broken, but I have a lot of swelling. My back hurts, but otherwise, I’m fine. That’s Dakar. The race is over for me, but I have to say that I enjoyed every single minute with my new team,” Martin Soltys said.

The main thing is that guys have fun

On Friday evening, the mechanics brought the repaired Arnold, Martin Soltys’ truck, to the bivouac. It will stay in Saudi Arabia and then continue to the 2022 World Rally-Raid Championship in Abu Dhabi in March. All forces are now concentrating on preparing the remaining trucks that will continue in the race. Charles – Martin Macik’s truck, Nicias – the special built for Project 203, and Vincenzo, the Italtrans’ racing truck. “We’re changing everything, just to be sure, springs, shock absorbers, the complete equipment. I think we will basically have a new truck in the second half of the race,” the driver Martin Macik laughed. His crew is in 11th place overall after the first half of the Dakar. “For me, it is important that the guys finish this year’s Dakar in good health. We want to go fast, improve, and have fun. We have four trucks here, besides Arnold, and the others are progressing well. The innovations we made are now being tested in the field. We are trying to build a bigger team. We have another year ahead of us, we’re going to go to the World Championships with the people who are here with us now. And we believe we’re working on a successful project. That’s the main thing for me. Of course, at the moment, I’m not completely satisfied with the way the Dakar is going. But, we are on the right track. It may just take a while. Dakar is not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” Martin Macik, Sr., the head of the Big Shock! Racing and MM Technology, explained.

Despite losing teammates, without whose support the race will be a bit more challenging, all members of the Big Shock! Racing team are looking forward to the second half of the Dakar rally.

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