Czech Tatra Phoenix pilot Martin Kolomy had to struggle with technical issues in the course of SS08 again. Despite them he finally managed the 5th rank. "The marathon stage was beautiful. Tracks like this are what I like," he reported on Monday. "In the first half dust got into my clutch and big problems began. We are glad to be in the finish. We also left the track now and then, sometimes it was great fun. The organizers really made a nice stage for us."

"This stage began very well, we had a perfect drive, only towards the end of the first part our technology began to strike," said teammate Jiri Stross. "We tried to repair the issue but in vain. I must appreciate how Martin is able to cope. To drive nearly 300 km without the clutch is not what everybody is able to do, and to end with the 5th rank on top of that. I rise my hat to him!"

Martin Soltys in the second Tatra Phoenix finished the second part of the marathon stage with 12th rank and in the overall ranking he is even one rank higher. "It was quite good and quickly over. We had no serious issue, only the clutch booster did not work well, so I had to apply force to change gears. My hand is a little painful after that, but the rest is all right," he said after the stage.

"Yesterday there was some big storm here which flooded the bivouac," said Team Manager Jan Kalivoda. "That is one of the reasons why SS09 was cancelled. Another reason was that there was a flooded bridge somewhere on the way to Salta and there was no way to get there, so the organizers looked for an alternative route."

Photos: Buggyra Racing

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