Olga channels her inner Spider-Man

Dakar 2019 | Stage 8 | San Juan de Marcona > Pisco
January 15 ^th 2019 - 23:48 [GMT -5]

Olga Roučková's Dakar debut on her quad in January 2018 was a painful affair. The adventure had a happy ending when she reached Córdoba after a titanic effort (26th), often finishing the specials in the dark and on the verge of collapse. Her passion for the Dakar remains the same, but she found a way to keep competing while avoiding the most gruelling part. "Ollie" is now driving an S×S from the Czech Moto Racing Group team and has a different perspective of the Dakar: "It was so difficult to finish the race last year. I did it, in the end, but I had to change. S×S emerged as the right type of car for the job. I was a bit stressed out because I only had three months to try out the vehicle." However, she has adapted to her new car without a hitch. The rookie is even discovering a new aspect of herself: "S×S is a whole different world", she chirps. "This year, I'm enjoying every kilometre of every stage. I feel a bit like Spider-Man when jumping from one dune to the next. Every day I learn to drive a bit faster, I feel more comfortable with my vehicle. It's exactly the same with my co-driver, Daniel Zelenka, who's even more of a novice in this vehicle than I am." The duo is plumbing the depths of the classification after stage 7, but a top place is not what they are here for: "We just want to make it to the finish, the classification be damned."