“Last year's good results will help us a lot”
CREW FACTS
K.T.
- Karel Trneny will be taking part in his 4th Dakar in 2025, having secured an impressive 23rd place in the Ultimate class at Dakar 2024. It was the first time the 51-year-old Czech had successfully completed the world's toughest rally.
- After doing his first Dakar in 2017 as a fast assistance truck driver for Martin Prokop, Karel put together a late entry in the cars with business partner Milan Horyl for Dakar 2023. Somewhat underprepared, they were forced to abandon when Milan injured his back on Stage 4. The following year, Karel returned with Michal Ernest and took that Top 25 finish. He is back in 2025 with a new title sponsor, X-Force ("which has helped us a lot!"), and a new co-driver, Vaclav Pritzl.
- Karel has always been passionate about motorsport and began his career in traditional rally alongside Vaclav in 1997. They've been racing together ever since and did two rallies in 2024 (Cesky Krumlov and Dobsina). They have also done a handful of European bajas since 2023 to prepare Vaclav for the Dakar.
- They will be competing in a Ford F150 Evo, nicknamed 'Mazel' [Czech for 'little pet'], which boasts a Mustang 5-litre V8 engine. Karel decided to upgrade the car to T1+ specs ahead of Dakar 2024.
V.P.
- Vaclav Pritzl is a hugely experienced co-driver who has been competing in rally since all the way back in 1987. He spent his early years racing exclusively in domestic events, but eventually branched out into international competitions like the European Rally Championship (ERC).
- The 62-year-old jokes that he must surely be the oldest rookie at Dakar 2025. He has only done a total of five bajas since taking up rally-raid in 2023, including Hungary and Poland this year. In Hungary, he and Karel finished 2nd in the International T1+ class behind Miroslav Zapletal.
2025 AMBITIONS
K.T.: “It was a big surprise to finish 23rd last year, on what felt like our first proper start in the Ultimate class. I have to admit we're disappointed with our start number for 2025, it shows how seriously our results were taken. We've made a lot of changes to the setup and body of the car based on our experiences from 2024. Vaclav and I have been competing together in traditional rally for more than 20 years, he's my regular co-driver. In 2023 we also started collaborating in cross-country, and now we hope we have enough experience for the Dakar. I feel very good about Dakar 2025, and we'll see how Vaclav enjoys it. Of course, last year's good results will help us a lot.”
V.P.: “I'm very happy to be part of Dakar 2025. It was my dream, and I'm pretty sure I must be the oldest rookie at the Dakar! Our goal is of course to finish the rally and prove that last year's result was no fluke.”
