Martin Koloc‘s first race in twenty-five years and maiden cross-country rally solely lasted a stage earlier than he referred to as it quits, stemming from uncertainty over the Hungarian Baja‘s security. He hopes to truly go the total distance safely throughout his second rally at Baja Poland on 22–25 August.
A two-time European Truck Racing Champion who retired from driving in 1999, Koloc made his return to the driving force’s seat in Hungary as a reduction driver for his daughter Aliyyah, who just lately underwent surgical procedure. Nevertheless, a foul omen rapidly fell upon Buggyra ZM Racing when the worldwide positioning system on his Purple-Lined REVO T1+ malfunctioned.
“We had been reporting issues with navigation for the reason that technical checks,” Koloc defined. “The GPS wasn’t working; it wasn’t giving us any information. The navigation gadget was not registering the factors handed or the meters traveled, and in the long run, we ended up doing the primary stage of 120 kilometres on sight.
“They saved us within the first neutralization zone after thirty kolometres of the preliminary timed take a look at for 34 minutes as a substitute of the mandated 20 minutes. They tried to unravel the problem however they didn’t. They then instructed us to proceed driving on sight. We needed to overtake all of the automobiles once more we had already handed.”
He managed to complete the primary Selective Part eleventh total amongst these registered for the Hungarian Cross-Nation Rally Championship, nevertheless it was removed from an expertise that he’d wish to relive. The shortage of a correct navigation system, regardless of the organisers’ efforts to minimise the danger for him, made him really feel he had gotten misplaced far too typically.
The Hungarian Baja is held at Hungarian Defence Forces Bakony Fight Coaching Centre, which is used for armoured warfare and paratrooper workouts. Most navy coaching zones that maintain cross-country rallies, such because the Baja TT Dehesa Extremadura (on the FIA European Baja Cup like Hungary) and Baja Poland, usually function twisty but bumpy programs. Race winner Nani Roma additionally famous the route was “actually difficult” with “numerous bumps” and “proper, left, slender tracks.”
Even then, Bakony appeared like a step too far for somebody with no working GPS. His fears appeared to be validated when Fidel Castillo Ruiz and Josef Radina had been hospitalised after their automobiles rolled over in separate accidents throughout SS3; Castillo suffered a damaged collarbone and pulmonary contusion whereas Radina, the co-driver of František Brutovský, fractured his vertebra.
“I perceive that the organisers had issues with the observe marking till the final second on account of the truth that the race was held in a navy space, however it’s an especially tough occasion to navigate,” Koloc continued. “There was numerous mud within the night once you couldn’t see in any respect in opposition to the solar setting. As a consequence of the truth that we got a non-functioning GPS, I had no concept the place we had been going. The navigator didn’t present any metres, totals, or bearings, and we had been in all probability stepping into the other way a number of occasions. That’s why we determined we didn’t need to take any extra dangers.”
Regardless of slicing his rally début quick, Koloc felt the REVO T1+ carried out nicely and is trying ahead to his subsequent begin. The begins are meant to assist develop the car for the broader World Rally-Raid Championship and Dakar Rally, each of which Aliyyah compete in.
“The automotive labored nicely in Hungary,” he concluded. “We’ll consider all the information we’ve got collected and in addition take a look at how the brand new options on the automotive labored. We’ll select the subsequent take a look at programme accordingly.”
