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Tuesday morning for Lithuanians, no big smiles. All the crews, without exception, who have heard the failure of the V. Damage team, do not want to joke anymore, it is sad when the race ends so early.
The teams wait a long way to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Initially, it was thought that the 800km distance would have to be covered with the engine-damaged Mini, nicknamed Mažylis, but such a journey would not have been easy due to the chaotic traffic in Saudi Arabia.
However, the team agreed that the Mini would go to Jeddah harbor together with the X-Raid team. The latter will board the car in a truck and transport it to the port and later to its technical base.
Meanwhile, almost the entire team, having collected the truck and SUV from the media team, will travel back to Jeddah, where they will try to organize a flight to Istanbul, and from there, to Vilnius. Given that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced that the borders have been opened, the journey is not expected to be a hassle.
The last thing Lithuanians returning from the Dakar Rally will have to handle is the COVID-19 test. So far, the team has not yet decided how to take a free trial at Saudi Arabian medical institutions and fly to Lithuania, or check on arrival.
Has suffered a malfunction
Vaidotas Žala, who surpassed the first speed section, called the prologue, at an impressive pace, maintaining the same victorious pace on the second day of the Dakar. For a time, the Lithuanian was even the fastest and led in the speed section.
However, at the end of the speed section, the Mini clutch started to skid, and 20 kilometers before the finish, the car stopped. Benediktas Vanagas, Inbank Toyota Gazoo Racing Baltics team leader, led V. Žalas to the finish.
During the night, the car’s gearbox was changed, a new clutch was installed and it was thought that V. Žala and Paulo Fiuza could start successfully on the third day of the rally. However, as soon as they left the speed section, the racers realized that the car’s engine had finally broken down and they were not going to finish the race.
As V. Žala explained, the decision not to continue the race and not to race in the Dakar Experience classification, which allows you to return to the rally in the middle of it, realizing that it will not be possible to drive at a competitive pace and play sports thus.
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