Ultimate Dakar racing team
A New Major Challenge for Ouředníček: TO DAKAR!
Instead of heading to Rally Dakar for the tenth time, it will be his first time to Dakar! Another major task awaits cross-country rally driver Tomáš Ouředníček at the end of this racing season. The nine-time participant of the Dakar Rally has decided to make a change this year: instead of racing on the Arabian Peninsula, he will fight in Africa at the turn of the year.
“We have decided to participate in the Africa Eco Race because we want to see the real Dakar,” says the Toyota Gazoo Racing Czech team driver. “I have never been to Dakar, and reaching it by following in the footsteps of the Dakar Rally founder Thierry Sabine has always been my big dream,” the driver added. The globally famous Paris-Dakar Rally originally ended in Dakar, Senegal. It began its history in 1978 and earned the reputation of being the toughest motorsport event on the planet. However, due to safety concerns for participants, the rally moved in 2009—under the name Dakar Rally—from Northwest Africa to South America, and since 2020 it has been held in Saudi Arabia in the Middle East. Yet, the route of the original competition to the Senegalese capital has not been abandoned; since the 2008–2009 transition, the Africa Eco Race has been taking place here. Its creation was initiated by legendary Formula 1 driver and two-time Dakar winner Jean-Louis Schlesser.
“The Africa Eco Race is the only intercontinental competition that preserves the original values of camaraderie, friendship, and adventure,” emphasized Ouředníček.
According to Ouředníček, who started gaining Dakar experience at the first South American Dakar, the race in Saudi Arabia, where it moved in 2020, doesn’t offer much chance to explore new places after five years. “In Africa, on the other hand, we have the opportunity to experience the atmosphere of the original marathon competitions. I love Africa, and the chance to race here has always attracted me. In Africa, I achieved my greatest victory ever at the Morocco Desert Challenge, and I always enjoy coming back,” he explains.
Tomáš Ouředníček will take the start in a Toyota Hilux GR V8 in the elite T1+ category. This season, his long-time navigator David Křípal was replaced by Lukáš Barták. Together, they participated in the September Baja Morocco, for example. “There, I realized again how beautiful Africa is,” says the driver.
The Africa Eco Race is included in the calendar of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and is regularly attended by major figures in world motorsport. The starting ceremony will take place on December 28 in Monaco, after which the entire race convoy will be transported by ship from France to Africa.
The route will take the competitors deep into the northwest Sahara. After eleven stages and nearly four thousand kilometers of timed racing in Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal, the race will end on January 12 at the iconic Lac Rose near the Senegalese capital Dakar.
The technicians of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Czech team are now intensively preparing the race machine, and the crew is especially working on their physical fitness. “We are very excited about Africa. It will undoubtedly be a very tough, long, and definitely adventurous race. To all our fans, we can promise that we will fight in the spirit of our team motto, Never Give Up, and I believe it will be a great experience for everyone,” concluded Tomáš Ouředníček.
