The Samurais Are Back!
Due to a serious failure – a punctured fuel tank, Ondřej Martinec and Jiří Kopřiva were forced to withdraw from the queen stage at the cost of a penalty. Thanks to a tremendous effort by the entire team, a replacement tank was obtained, and thanks to the skill of the mechanics under the direction of Jiří Vorlíček, the Toyota Land Cruiser 90 was ready to start the second half of Dakar Classic after the rest day.
“We are glad we can continue in the competition and we will do everything to move up in the overall standings and maintain our position as the best Czech car crew,” said Ondřej Martinec at the start of the sixth stage.
“During the rest day, besides replacing the tank, which was very complicated, we also tried to check and overhaul the entire car so that the guys could fight on equal terms with their rivals,” said chief mechanic Jiří Vorlíček about the demanding hours.
The joy of continuing in the competition is naturally shared by Olga Roučková, who closely follows everything and is in constant contact with the team. “I am very proud of everyone – the crew and the mechanics, including our young man from the Mechanic Academy project. I think that through this demanding work over the last few days, he has gained a lot for his practice.”
What does Tomáš Trytko, member of the Mechanic Academy project, say? “When the guys didn’t finish the stage because of the tank and had a hard time even getting to Hail, we used the rest day for repairs. I also left my mark on the car, but I focused more on the simpler tasks – loosening bolts, removing the exhaust, or taping hoses.”
And what about that tank? “In the end, we managed to replace it, but a lot of things on the car had to be adjusted, its mounting had to be changed, and Jirka Vorlíček had to fabricate a protective armor plate to prevent it from being punctured again.”
How much do you sleep each day, and how did you cope with the weather change? “Usually it’s about five to six hours. In the previous bivouac it was quite hot, here it’s different. I wasn’t cold in the sleeping bag, but the temperatures here are low.”
After arriving at the bivouac, co-driver Jiří Kopřiva evaluated today’s sixth stage as follows: “The stage was long but not extremely demanding in terms of driving. There were long pistes, occasionally stones. Navigation-wise it was quite difficult because everything was very fast. The car is fine so far.”
In today’s stage, the Czech crews achieved these results: 35th place Husek, 46th Pazdera, 50th Martinec, 55th Bárta, 57th Vinš, 58th Holická.
Overall, the Czech Samurais team crew of Ondřej Martinec – Jiří Kopřiva moved up to 54th place.
Czech Samurais: When Bad Luck Stuck to Their Heels
After the third stage, the best of the Czech crews, seventh in the H2 category and thirty-first overall in Dakar Classic. Unfortunately, the fourth stage did not start well for the crew of Ondřej Martinec – Jiří Kopřiva. Quite early on, they discovered a punctured fuel tank, which is a major technical and dangerous problem. And so the frantic search for the necessary parts began. This failure is unfortunately a consequence of yesterday’s destructive stage.
“It was clear that the guys couldn’t race with such a damaged car, but could only drive somewhere to have the vehicle repaired. A lot of people are helping, and we thank everyone very much. It shows that the Dakar family is truly large, and when needed, they help each other. The tank was searched for everywhere, even through the Czech embassy, contacts to service centers in the area were checked, sheet metal for patching was sourced, etc. It was hectic, and I believe we will eventually make it to the bivouac and continue in the competition even with a delay,” said team manager Ollie Roučková.
Problems affected not only the Czech Samurais team crew but also a number of others among the “classics.” And the end of hopes for many favorites in the Dakar is generally known – just randomly, Carlos Sainz, Sebastian Loeb “finished,” as did Czech leader Martin Michek, who was around tenth in the motorcycle category. Dakar 2025 is beginning to take a cruel toll in the form of retired crews.
From a distance, Toyota pilot Ondřej Martinec sends a message: “We are doing everything to continue in the competition. We are incredibly tired, it costs us an immense effort, but hopefully we will make it. Keep your fingers crossed for us.”
Press Release Stage 2 – Absolutely Satisfied! Ollie Roučková, Ondřej Martinec
The “Samurais” passed their first big test with flying colors.
Chrono 48 – a great challenge and on the other hand great concerns. The Dakar and Dakar Classic crews have half of the Chrono 48 stage behind them. Hell did not await Ondřej Martinec. But the Chrono lived up to its reputation and prepared more than one surprise for the competitors. After a great performance, the Czech Samurais team crew arrived at the bivouac in 18th place. (Other Czechs: 45th Bárta, 60th Pazdera, 68th Hušek, Holická and Vinš – results were not yet known). “We are incredibly tired, during the stage we didn’t even have time to eat a little. The organizers overdid it in places with the average speed, when we sometimes had to go 95 km/h. The car holds up great,” shared his first impressions at the finish a satisfied but extremely tired driver.
The racing took place in diverse terrain north of Bisha. “The surface changed a lot today – sand, stones, plateau hills, navigation dunes awaited us. We have the first half of perhaps the toughest stage behind us,” sighed co-driver Jiří Kopřiva after a job well done, as he savored a cigarette.
Immediately after arriving at the bivouac, mechanics Jiří Vorlíček and Tomáš Trytko took care of the car. “We only have one and a half hours for inspection and repairs. So far it looks like everything is okay. Oil isn’t depleting, the axles and other important components are holding. Everyone picked up minor scratches today, but they have no fundamental impact on successful continuation in the competition,” adds chief mechanic Jiří Vorlíček. It should also be noted that for the “classics,” Chrono 48 is not in the true sense of the word, because the crews returned to the bivouac, could use the facilities, and teams could work on the vehicles, albeit in limited time.
“The Toyota held up today, even though we flew through the air a few times and it picked up some marks from the desert. But nothing that would make us stop, so for me it’s another successful stage in terms of the technical side,” praises the vehicle pilot Ondřej Martinec.
Tomorrow the crews will complete the second half of the Chrono 48 stage back to Bisha and say goodbye to this place the next day. They will continue with the third stage, again long and demanding, to Al Henakiyah.
The Martinec and Kopřiva crew completed the first stage without problems
The first stage with a length of 385 kilometers begins to set the character of this year’s Dakar Classic. The Czech Samurais team crew of Ondřej Martinec and Jiří Kopřiva finished in an excellent 28th place (other Czechs: 61st Vinš, 72nd Hušek, 73rd Pazdera, 83rd Bárta, 85th Holická). In the overall standings, the “samurais” hold their position in the top third of the results. Ninety-five classics started in today’s competition.
“We are at the bivouac, and that’s the most important thing. During the opening stage, we had no major problems. We picked up a few penalty points, but it’s still very good. I believe we will continue in this spirit,” evaluated the first stage from the crew’s perspective Ondřej Martinec.
The racing special Toyota Land Cruiser completed the first longer stage without technical failures or major damage. “The Toyota didn’t even lose a mirror today, it’s technically absolutely fine. It simply makes us happy. Not just me, but the mechanics too, because they just do routine maintenance and inspection and we move on.”
“Tomorrow the real racing will show itself. It will test not only the drivers and the technology, but also us co-drivers,” looks ahead with respect to the queen stage Chrono 48 navigator Jiří Kopřiva.
It is again a Bisha – Bisha loop, but significantly longer, as more than a thousand kilometers over two days without service await the crews. The terrain in the Bisha area is already familiar to Ondřej Martinec. Besides sand, the terrain changes to various surfaces, where navigator Jiří Kopřiva had to regularly adjust the speed distribution. Especially when stones began to appear.
“It pays off to drive prudently, especially when you get into the dust and visibility is significantly reduced. Not to rush headlessly to the finish. We are just warming up, so far we have been well supported by BFGoodrich tires,” comments the pilot of the dark blue Toyota.
The Dakar and Dakar Classic crews are already planning their tactics for Chrono 48, which will take place on January 5th and 6th, will be extremely demanding, and will certainly shake up the standings in all categories. The Martinec – Kopřiva duo will start at 5:25 AM as the twenty-first classic crew.
AER 2025: Ouředníček Finished Second in the First Saharan Stage
The crew of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Czech team, Tomáš Ouředníček and Lukáš Barták, in their Toyota Hilux GR V8 T1+ took second place in Thursday’s third stage of the sixteenth edition of the endurance rally Africa Eco Race.
For a long time, the Czech racers were in the leading position, but the organizers corrected the standings in the evening. “The leading French crew, which started ahead of us, stopped and helped at a motorcyclist’s accident. They just showed us to continue. The organizers therefore deducted this time from the French crew,” explained the position change Tomáš Ouředníček.
According to his own words, he is very satisfied even with second place. “We caught an excellent pace, but then we had to slow down a bit due to an overheating differential. We mastered the feared Cheggaga dunes with top marks, and we even overtook two cars there. In the next section, however, we were driving behind a dusty buggy, in the dust we overlooked a stone wall and hit it sideways. But it was nothing fatal and we could continue. After about one hundred and sixty kilometers, we managed to overtake the buggy, and then we had a clear track to the finish and it drove very well,” described Ouředníček.
Apart from the differential, whose temperature the crew was constantly monitoring, there were no problems. “The new suspension setup proved itself again. Lukáš handled the difficult desert navigation with top marks, and we never hesitated once. That was crucial,” praised the navigator the pilot. “It seems that I am now better able to maintain concentration in decisive situations and not get distracted by things that are not essential. Thanks to that, I could trust myself more today and send Tomáš in the right direction every time,” commented co-driver Lukáš Barták, who found himself in a fast car on high sharp dunes for the first time in his life. “It churned my stomach a bit, but I managed,” he added with a smile.
Thursday’s stage from Tagounite to Touzgui took the racers to the Sahara for the first time, measured 547 kilometers and the special stage was 453 kilometers long. The stage was won with a seven-minute lead by the aforementioned Frenchmen Benoit Fretin and Cedric Duple in a Century CR6 special. In the overall standings, Ouředníček and Barták hold third position with a gap of more than half an hour to the leading Frenchmen, and they trail the second-placed Belgians Vroninx and Berghmans by thirteen minutes. This reflects the fifteen-minute penalty for missing one checkpoint in Wednesday’s stage.
On Friday, participants face another five-hundred-kilometer portion, with 495 kilometers making up the special stage. The route to Laayoune leads from east to west through mountainous terrain that once again transforms into vast dune fields without landmarks on the horizon.
The Samurais Are Already in the Center of the Action at Dakar 2025
The prologue and base camp of the now forty-seventh Dakar is located in the city of Bisha in the Asir province in the inhospitable south of the country. This city is known for its colorful markets and historical landmarks. The Czech Samurais team warmed up immediately after picking up their equipment on a six-hundred-kilometer transfer from Jeddah to Bisha and set up their first bivouac of the year at the Bisha base camp, where the Dakar caravan gathers for the third time…
- Video, equipment pickup: https://youtu.be/hWEYm-8JgK8?si=MTucsqNalLgPWlco
