PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: GOCZAŁ PRIDE ROARS INTO ACTION
"Our goal is to hog the podium spots; the exact order is irrelevant." This has been the modest, down-to-earth aspiration of the Goczałs, a little Polish family, for as long as they have been racing together in the Dakar, going back to the 2023 SSV race. The youngest member of the clan, Eryk, had yet to get his driving licence when his father Marek led the way in 2022, picking up six stage wins en route to fourth place overall, as his uncle Michał claimed two specials and went on to finish fifth. The child prodigy did not disappoint in his debut the following season, bagging the class title along with four stage victories, while his father and uncle contributed another three to the family tally. Their adventure in the lightweight prototype class ended with 15 stage wins in total.
This time round, their Energylandia team bought three Toyota Hiluxes in a bid for Ultimate glory! Their early performances among the top brass have been quite auspicious. They took three out of the top six places in stage 4, with Marek third at 14′15″ from Henk Lategan, Eryk fourth at 17′36″ and Michał sixth at 19′53″. The youngest scion of the family is also the best placed overall, ninth at 21 minutes, with both his kinsmen inside the top 15 too. While this is a cut below title contender level, it will certainly fuel their maximalist ambitions.
