‘All eyes are on us now’ - Interview with Tomas Ourednicek and David Kripal

Last year’s winner in the car category is back to defend his title. For the previous edition of the Morocco Desert Challenge not many people counted on the Czech for the top spots, but Ourednicek proved them wrong. “We didn’t count on winning either”, he admits. “We were there to test the car and for David it was his first time as a navigator. We both had a clear mind, there was no pressure at all, but we had a perfect rally.”

Earlier this year Ourednicek competed in the Dakar Rally. He made it to the finish but had a tough time. “From the second day on we ran into problems which threw us way back in the field. And in the back of the field you keep running into more troubles. Once we spend 44 hours driving, without sleep. I thought I wasn’t going to make it, the sweeper truck had already passed us and we were on our own at 4 in the night on the Altiplano of Bolivia. But we refused to give up and so we made it to the finish ultimately.”

With this experience the tenth edition of the Morocco Desert Challenge may look like a piece of cake for the Czech duo with their Southracing Ford. But it isn’t. “Because we won last year, all eyes are on us. The expectations are high, also from ourselves, and so is the pressure. Winning again is our goal, of course, but it certainly will not be easy. The competition is strong. The engine and the torque are a bit less fast than last year, but I think staying out of troubles and good navigation may be the ultimate ingredients to win this rally. I didn’t enjoy the Dakar and more or less lost the fun of driving; I hope to find it back here. It’s not just hoping: I know for sure I will find it back here.”