The Dakar Rally will start on Friday in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia. After covering eight thousand kilometers of deserts and deserts, its participants will reach the finish line in Yanbu on the Red Sea on January 19.
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The 61-year-old Holovczyk will take part in the most prestigious category of cars, who will drive together with the co-driver of the four-wheeled Mini, Lukasz Kurzeja. The former European Rally Champion realizes that it will be difficult to compete with the favorites from a technical point of view.
“After the Morocco rally, the general test before Dakar, we know that our car is not the fastest. The whole group of leaders ran there and we had the opportunity to compare the pace, because we all drove at 100 percent. With full risks, we could only get close to them. , we didn't have A chance to win a special stage. But I'm not crying, I know I have a good car, but there's still a lot to do,” Holowcic said before leaving for Saudi Arabia.
Already on the spot, at the test section, the fuel system of his car failed.
“At the moment we don't know exactly what happened with this concussion, but the mechanics are working, if something happens, they will replace everything and everything will be fine. There is no problem with that. We also improved the gearbox. It jumps on the ground,” an experienced driver told PAP.
However, he added that other elements are also important in distance events like this.
“The rally is so long that it's more important that you don't have any major technical or navigational problems every day. If you're not adventurous, go and finish and that's the most important thing in this rally. And the element of luck. It's going to be very important. You're going 140 km per hour , you have a hole on the left and not on the right – and what tells you to be on the right? Luck is definitely a big factor in an event like this,” he admitted.
The Olsztyn native also recalled his greatest Dakar success when, after initial bad luck, he was able to stand on the podium.
“Once, in Dakar, on the second stage, my drive failed, I lost half an hour and gave up, later it turned out that we were still moving up in the classification and when we were in fifth position with four stages to go. , I started pushing very hard and in the end we took the third place. Sometimes you get better results by going slow than going at breakneck speed. Centering the pace will be most important in Dakar. In the beginning, the struggle will be incredible, but you have to withstand the pressure and not get into this crazy rush,” he explained.
He was encouraged by the words of five-time Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar, who was pleased with his return and considered him one of the best drivers in the field.
“It's nice, we've known each other for many years. And it's true, experience is important here,” emphasized the Pole.
Holovcic is happy to have Kurzei, who made his Dakar debut, in the co-driver's seat.
“Dreams do come true. For the first time in Dakar, I will have dictation in Polish, because so far I have not traveled with a Belgian, but with a French, Russian or German. Of course, they were very nice and experienced pilots, but I always dreamed of having someone with whom I could be friends. Moreover, it is much easier to convey certain technical nuances in Polish, and not just “danger, danger” (danger – PAP)”, admitted the three-time national champion in car racing with a smile.
“Lucas is incredibly focused. He is a guy who has experienced Dakar three times, like me, because he will start for the first time. But he did a great job in navigating the difficult rally in Morocco. There is a saying that if someone messes up, you know the pilot and if it succeeds Will reach, of course, drivers! So I'm calm, if something happens, he will be the first,” he joked.
The popular “Holek” knows perfectly well the difficulties of Dakar. On the way, the participants will have to meet, including: a two-day stage in an empty quarter, a desert and uninhabited place in the southeast of the country. However, he assured that he was well prepared for such an attempt.
“You have to get used to temperature fluctuations. From my colleagues' experiences and stories from previous rallies in Saudi Arabia, it's not that warm. There are places where it's very hot, but we also go to the mountains where it can be zero degrees and muddy. Yeah, so it's not super hot. action,” he said.
He noted that David Castera, who plans the route, said of the Morocco rally: “Guys, it's not going to be a smooth route where you can see everything clearly. It's going to be like the African Dakar.”
“I was lucky, perhaps, as one of the few drivers, to race in Africa and South America, so I know what he is talking about. For two weeks, you have to prepare every day and drive several hundred kilometers. Not to mention a two-day marathon, Where you have to do everything yourself in the car, it's not fun,” he emphasized.
During his many years of career, Holowczyk suffered from health problems. He had a damaged spine, many fractures and he overcame a tumor…
“I'm pretty well prepared, although I recently had an operation to “do” my stomach, twice damaged my spine, dislocated my shoulder, broke my ribs, broke my neck bones, broke my knees. So I've been taking care of fitness for a few years now because I'm old enough to take care of myself, I have a physical therapist, an oxygen tent, ice packs, etc. I am quite calm. Myself,” he assured.
In fact, he admitted that he is not one of the favorites for the Dakar, although he has big ambitions.
“I'm going with the attitude that I'm fighting for the win, but you have to be realistic. It's going to be a hell of a race this year. The three Audis are the fastest, but are they going to do it? It's very difficult. Electric rigs. When Matthias Ekstroem caught me on the dunes in Morocco, he just ran away. It's like some toy has moved, it's crazy,” he added.
As he said, his car really has a lot of potential, but “it's still a bit unfinished.”
“Last year we made 14 starts, we won nine rallies, we won the European Cup and the Polish Championship. I have such a mentality that I still think that my greatest success is ahead. I always had big ambitions and I believe that my road to Dakar is not over. I won, really a lot I have things checked, but not Dakar yet,” Holovczyk concluded.
mtu, PAP