Aliyyah Koloc Shines With Ninth Place In The Tenth Stage Of Dakar Rally

(MENAFN- EIN Presswire)

The very first stage in the dreaded Empty Quarter desert demonstrated that the dunes are the perfect place for Aliyyah Koloc to race.

MONACO, FRANCE, January 15, 2025 /EINPresswire / -- The Buggyra ZM Racing driver approached the desert without any undue hesitation and drove to a sensational ninth place today, her best-ever result in the elite Ultimate car category at the Dakar Rally. She is now 27th overall.

Aliyyah Koloc loves the dunes, as she proved from the first kilometres today. She was tenth at the opening timed point and then moved up one position. "It was very nice today. We had a long road route this morning, so Seb handled most of it. I drove the last hundred kilometres, so I rested in the morning. Today's dunes were smaller and not too technical. Because it's not on power, because we don't have that, we could gain a lot there," the young driver began describing the stage.

"We are close to the UAE border, so it feels a bit like home," Aliyyah Koloc remarked, noting that she spends a large part of the year in Dubai.

The fact that she was faster than the competition leader, Henk Lategan, Czech star Martin Prokop, and third-placed Mattias Ekström underscores what a remarkable result this is.

"The timed section was only 120 kilometres long. It was smooth, and we weren't going full throttle. I really enjoy this type of stage. I achieved my best performance, so I am satisfied. Everything went well today-it was fun," said Aliyyah Koloc with a smile.

Martin Šoltys secured fourth place in the truck category in today's tenth stage of Rally Dakar. In his first encounter with the Empty Quarter, the fourth-largest desert in the world, the Tatra Buggyra ZM Racing pilot finished fourth. The other member of the team, Karel Poslední, was sixteenth today and is thirteenth overall.

Martin Šoltys thanked the Buggyra mechanics for their excellent work. "It was a great stage today; we had a great ride. Thanks to the mechanics, we had the truck perfectly prepared. The truck has been working beautifully since the beginning, and we have no technical problems," he said.

The 51-year-old driver then talked about today's stage. "At the beginning, there were big dunes. Then the track was kind of bumpy. After that, we faced very steep side exits where the truck was going extremely sideways. It was almost heart-stopping, but fortunately, everything went smoothly. And toward the end, there were big dunes again," said the pilot of the Tatra Buggyra EVO3.

Martin Šoltys was pleased with the number of Czech flags along the track. "I admire the huge number of Czech fans here. All the Czech flags-that's amazing. It's beautiful support, and I'm grateful for that."

Karel Poslední enjoyed the dunes and even helped an opponent. "The morning crossing was long and tiring. We started in the biggest heat, and the dunes were the softest. We made it through, but about halfway, we helped pull out a Spaniard who had gotten stuck. We've got the first few miles in the Empty Quarter done, so we'll see what tomorrow brings. I'm handling the dunes and keeping my own pace. Martin advised me on how to navigate the tricky sections to avoid tipping over. I feel better in the desert now," said the Tatra Phoenix driver.

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