CZECH SAMURAJS TEAM IS READY FOR DAKAR 24 – “In less than two months, a new season of Rally Dakar will kick off, and this year again, the crews of the CZECH SAMURAJS team will not be missing from the starting line. Last year’s best Czech drivers across the Dakar Classic categories are continuing for their third consecutive year and can count on the general support of Autorozvody CZ and Emil Frey CZ for the upcoming edition. The Toyota Land Cruiser 90 will be driven by the duo Ondřej Martinec and Ollie Roučková. Under the CZECH SAMURAIS team banner, the crew of Bára Holická and Lucie Engová will also start with a Citroën 2CV.”
On 22 November 2023, the CZECH SAMURAIS team held its second press conference at the SŠTŘ Nový Bydžov premises. The team specializes in Rally Dakar and presented its visions and plans for the upcoming edition. The famous race will be held in Saudi Arabia for the fifth time. The start will be in AlUla in the west of the country, from where the route will head back westward to the Red Sea coast and the finish city of Yanbu. Dakar 2024 starts on 5 January and will last until 19 January. This year’s pre-New Year’s Eve start will therefore not continue into the upcoming edition. Competitors will face 60% entirely new tracks. All team members appeared at the press conference, including the second crew of the Citroën 2CV and the new Mechanic Academy mechanic Jan Pavlík. Over the course of a year of preparation, he became a true expert on the racing Toyota Land Cruiser 90 and is a full-fledged team member. The main highlight of the press conference was the presentation of the team’s vision for Dakar 2024.
This week, the organizers of Rally Dakar 2024 carried out the selection of Dakar Classic entries. The Czech Samurais team received start confirmation for both of its drivers in the Classic category.
The best Czech driver in the 2023 Classic category, Ondřej Martinec, will take the start with navigator Ollie Roučková. Her first start will be recorded by Barbora Holická, who next year will stand on the starting ramp with the iconic duck – the Citroën 2CV. Barbora will be navigated by Lucie Engová, the sister of Tomáš Enge – the only Czech Formula 1 driver to date.
The Classic category is a great challenge for both crews. The team manager adds – “Rally Dakar 2024 is already taking shape. There are only a few months left until the competition, so we are all looking ahead to the upcoming edition. The organizers are also hard at work on preparations, starting to release the first pieces of information, and the key news is that both of our crews have been accepted. Which is great news!!!! Already in the previous edition, we started with two cars, and we managed to bring home the best Czech placement across Classic categories, as well as 3rd place in the HO category. We still have a long way to go before we reach the finish of the upcoming 2024 edition. After the summer holidays, both our crews will head to training camps where they will fine-tune the technique, but above all the specific navigation that is characteristic of the Classic category. Fans and partners will be able to join the testing live. They will be the very first to see the new look of the Toyota Land Cruiser 90, and they will also be able to view the unique build of the iconic duck. Of course, the Mechanic Academy will be present, which was created to support young mechanics in cooperation with the Secondary Vocational School in Nový Bydžov.”
Ondřej Martinec, driver of the Toyota Land Cruiser 90 – “After fulfilling my dream last year, I decided that I want to improve my result, and so I submitted an entry that was accepted by the organizers. Based on data from last year, we are working hard on the Toyota, in cooperation with Mechanic Academy SŠTŘ Nový Bydžov and Emil Frey, working on improving the chassis and engine settings.”
Ollie Roučková
Czech Samurais team
www.rouckova.cz
+420774720519