Even Juknevičius, who changed three wheels and did not shirk responsibility: did he see a wheel destruction machine?

Early Sunday morning, the KREDA team moved from the “zero” bivouac complex of the King Abdullah Sports City stadium complex in Jeddah, and turned in different directions, according to the team’s press release.

The mechanics of the team to the first bivouac in Bisha, the media team – to the finish line to capture the first emotions, and the riders – to the first speed section, which had to turn 310 kilometers on public roads, crossing 2 km mountains high, 1.5 km high in the desert. he waited for the start of the speed section.

On the first 277-kilometer stretch, Dakar participants were greeted by Dakar standards on an easy and fast track leading to sand-spattered gravel roads, dry riverbeds and canyons.

Patience is the best first speed partner for a team runner

The challenges were met by crews in the middle of the speed section, where the image of nature is framed by winding and narrow roads, paved with stones in and near the track path.

To keep his tires healthy without wasting time, he had to drive with extreme caution, saving time and human resources.

According to the information provided by the organizers – 3 percent. The track pavements were made of stones, but the history of last year’s Dakar is living proof that even a small percentage of very unfavorable track pavements can prove fatal to many who do not hesitate and push the accelerator to full throttle. background.

Such a surface can very quickly filter out runners who have been trapped in rocky areas and had loose sleeves connected to a precision Swiss watch tire change procedure. Eventually, it turned out that the 49 percent promise. the gravel pavements were actually rocky areas, forcing the team to donate 3 wheels.

The compass is the best companion of the first speed section for the team navigator.

The slower and faster sections of the track are a challenge for boaters, as there were many roads that were not marked on their touch-sensitive monitor in the areas that the Priority list e-book ran to on race cars.

Therefore, closely observing the rhythm displayed by the symphony of changing cursors, it was necessary to find the correct trajectory and lead his partner at the wheel towards the goal.

Starting from position 48, the KREDA team occupies position 35 at the first waypoint. Finally, 11:40 pm The crew, which left in Lithuanian time, reached the finish line in 4 hours and preliminary ranked 45th.

“Have you seen a wheel destroyer? I take responsibility: today we put 3 wheels.

Until you change the wheels, about 5 cars on the train will pass you and then there is a lot to do to recover the lost positions.

In a word, it is better not to step on the wheels, but I can be glad that today the organizers offered us a real Dakar day, only the sand was missing and there were a lot of stones in some places. Great fun to ride, faina track.

That is how the Dakar began. ”After the finish, Antanas Juknevičius, who is not without a sense of humor, shared his impressions.

KREDA team leader Antanas Juknevičius is the most experienced Lithuanian rider, starting his twelfth Dakar in 2021. Sandy and desert in tune with his element, the rider named Dakar Punk has tripled the best result of the Baltics in the category of cars. In 2018, Antanas Juknevičius was officially recognized as the Dakar Rally Legend by the organizers.