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“I won’t hide, I had to say one more word this year too, but this time Darius gave up quickly,” laughed A. Juknevičius, assuring him that the veteran KREDA team navigator didn’t need to persuade another Dakar for long.
“I have emphasized the importance of our team more than once. We agree very well, and that too. punk the approach to the most important things is similar, so we are a great team. “
According to A. Juknevičius, who is already preparing for his 12th Dakar, four Dakar together for each crew is an invaluable experience. During this time, both team members learn to understand each other on the word side, work together and create the right microclimate that helps them to strive and expect better results.
The team’s plans were confused by a pandemic
At the end of the Dakar 2020, the KREDA tandem finished strongly, announcing its plans to start the most difficult stage of the World Championship, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. The second race of the Dakar takes place every year on the highest dunes of the Empty Quater in the United Arab Emirates.
The shoulder injury suffered by D. Vaičiulis was briefly confused with the team’s plans as the competition approached. However, the inseparable punk duo decided to justify their name and not look for a change for Darius, but to storm the dunes. with three hands and two heads with good mutual understanding. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all stages of the World Cup were canceled.
The boater feels completely ready
As the Dakar approached next year, Darius Vaičiulis dispelled all doubts about his state of health and assured that he was ready.
“Physically, I will definitely be better prepared than ever for this Dakar. The operation was successful, so I will be able to move the tires with one hand, – joked D. Vačiulis. “I started rehab just when the first quarantine started, so I had to exercise on my own, but now I feel completely healthy and ready to work hard.”
No dunes expected in Dakar
Entering the preliminary information provided by the organizers on the trails for next year’s Dakar, the KREDA team has already begun to study the maps and although it is promised that the new route will not be repeated, it already seems that a crew with experience in the dunes will not be able to enjoy it.
“I think that if the course is the same as last year, there will definitely be no dunes, because the organizers avoid them for various reasons. In the first place, it is expensive for them to enter these areas, logistics become more expensive and it is more difficult to guarantee security. Secondly, most of the drivers on the Priority list in Dakar, who come from the classic rally, do not like the dunes and even contribute a lot of money to pressure the organizers not to include them on the track map ” said the KREDA team driver.
A. Juknevičius, often called a dune expert, explained that dunes cannot be called sand-covered stony rocks, as used to be the case in last year’s race. A royal dune is a swollen “funnel” of sand formed in a hard plane. Most of the dunes move. Its height is measured from the hard part to the apex.
Will train in local conditions
Preparations for the KREDA team’s toughest rally marathon are already in full swing. At the beginning of December, the crew will go to Dubai with the mechanics, where they intend not only to test the condition of the car, which has not been seen for a long time, but also to train seriously.
“We haven’t touched the car in over half a year, so when we go to the venue, we hope it’s good. prakratyti and make sure you are fully prepared for Dakar. At the same time, we are ready for serious training. We also want to revive all the racing skills: driving, maintaining direction, communicating with each other, because often on the Dakar we only raced a third day. This time, everything will remain fresh, which will definitely work out on the race track, ”said the punk duo.
The 2021 Dakar Rally will take place for the second time in Saudi Arabia from January 3-15. KREDA team leader Antanas Juknevičius is Lithuania’s most experienced athlete to finish all 10 Dakar. The driver improved three times the best result in the category of cars belonging to the Baltic countries. In 2018, A.Juknevičius was officially recognized as the Dakar Rally Legend.
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