Czech Tatra Phoenix pilot Martin Soltys´s performance keeps rising, he completed SS04 test with 8th rank. He now also holds the 8th rank in the interim ranking. "Tuesday we succeeded and achieved a super result," Soltys told in the finish. "It was really hard, especially the first hundred kilometers was a mill for the trucks, we jumped across stones and basins."

"The truck could hardly fit in there, so narrow it was. My whole body aches. But the in the dunes we were good, although we still got stuck in one place, together with Martin Macík (Liaz) and Ales Loprais (Tatra), but finally we found it. Loprais then rolled his truck in front of us and stayed there. It is worse and worse, each stage more difficult than the previous one. The leaders really fly forward, I cannot understand how they can drive like this."

Pilot number one of the Tatra Buggyra Racing team Martin Kolomy Tuesday praised the organizers for a successful start. He then arrived in the finish with the third quickest time. "Beautiful stage, nice beginning on a beach, never seen before at Dakar," Kolomy said. "The new development with parallel start of two trucks pleased me for we won. Otherwise really beautiful mountains, basins. The truck works, only we must still tune up something. I am looking forward to Wednesday." His loss after the leader, Nikolaev, is over 13 hours and his current overall rank is 15th.

"So this section was really wonderful, a true Dakar. Everything was there, endless thrashers, quick sections, and about a hundred kilometers of really hard dunes as a bonus. So we did enjoy it, although some moments were really strained. But we managed quite well and if we continue like this till the end it will be good," was the comment of the Dakar matador Josef Kalina and navigator about SS04.

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