Rubber-Stamped FATBOY Ready to Go! Kolomý Wished Good Luck by Ambassador
After yesterday’s administrative and technical formalities nothing is now keeping Martin Kolomý from taking part in the world’s most difficult rally for the sixth time: the Dakar Rally 2015. The race special TATRA 815 BUGGYRA will be “locked” in parc fermé until the afternoon when it will be released to the centre of Buenos Aires, outside the presidential palace “La Casa Rosada”, where the rally begins on the start podium.
“Actually, it’s just formalities but taking up nearly all day. All preparations for them take place in Europe. Here, just a thorough check is carried out to see if full payments have been made,” Martin Kolomý depicted the scrutineering slightly exaggerating. “A.S.O. (the Rally Dakar organiser) is a professional organisation, which is proved by the process of these formalities. To satisfy all conditions, any participant, be it a competitor, mechanic or journalist, must undergo a chase for countless number of stamps,” Jan Kalivoda, the team’s manager gave explanation on the process of accreditation. “I know it sounds funny, but basically, it’s true. The process has been made easier for everybody, so you just go from one counter to another like lemmings, trying to suit all necessary requirements of registration, paying all charges and fees, custom duties on navigation and control systems, which results in “rubber stamping”, that means fitting all requirements in scrutineering, at the moment you’ve done so, you have a win. Well, I admit that no other way is likely to exist when organising such a race where a thousand participants are in.”
This year, the Dakar Village, the first base for all participants, where a rich accompanying programme have been arranged for visitors, has been situated in the Tecnópolis site, an exhibition centre lying close to Buenos Aires city centre. The Czech Republic’s ambassador in Argentina, Petr Kopøiva, had not missed the show either, and invited by the Czech Tourism Authority he and his family visited the TATRA Buggyra Racing team’s facilities. “We promote the Czech Republic in foreign countries within the contributory organization, CzechTourism, so I really am happy the Ambassador found his time to come to wish us good luck, which we’ll need here, in the Dakar,” Jan Kalivoda said.
After the passage through scrutineering, competitors will be given a briefing, which is scheduled for Saturday, 1 p.m. of the local time, in the lobby of the Auditorium, due to a huge amount of participants. Then it is just the podium start, where a huge crowd of domestic fans is expected to come. “It’s ever been a popular and big event, not just for fans and main players in all categories, but all participants who have opportunity to present themselves in a programme that is on for several hours during the best broadcasting time. Trucks, unfortunately, are not allowed on the stage because of their size,” Martin Kolomý said feeling regret. “Once a stage is arranged for trucks, then I’ll sort Robbie out,” a pilot of Tatra made hypothetic threats against an American showman, Robbie Gordon.
“Today, we’re having dinner together to strengthen a team spirit. And tomorrow each of us will start doing their duties, and I guess we’ll hardly meet together until the Dakar ends. Well, we’ll draw strength and go,” Martin Kolomý gave a comment on Friday evening on preparations for the 37th Year of the world’s hardest rally beginning on 4th January.
For more information see www.buggyra.com.
