“The competition will be very even now”

Jaroslav Valtr returns to the Dakar in 2023 as part of the Tatra Buggyra ZM Racing team, with whom he took his best result in the trucks (8th) in 2016. The 53-year-old has been racing for a long time and even has his own team, Valtr Racing, for whom he regularly competes alongside his sons Jaroslav Jr. and Michal. The Czech driver made his Dakar debut in 2012, coming 12th for the KM Racing team co-founded by Martin Macik Sr. (whose son, Martin Macik Jr., is now one of the top contenders in the trucks). Jaroslav endured frustration as he failed to finish the rally in 2013 and 2014, but roared into the top 10 with Tatra Buggyra ZM Racing in 2016. He then stepped away from the Dakar for a time, switching his focus to the Africa Eco Race, but was tempted back in 2021 after the move to Saudi Arabia. Competing for Valtr Racing in an Iveco Powerstar acquired from Macik Sr., Jaroslav was on course for 12th place until a crash on the final stage, which forced him to abandon and go to hospital with a back injury. He says he’s learned from that experience and won’t overdo things at Dakar 2023, knowing that consistency often outweighs speed on the world's toughest rally. He’s nevertheless looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the Tatra Phoenix Buggyra, which boasts some serious firepower and an automatic gearbox, which makes for a more comfortable ride in the cab. Jaroslav Jr. will also be involved in this 45th edition, acting as a navigator for Ales Loprais. In the absence of the mighty Kamaz-Master team, the Czech Republic has a golden opportunity to conquer the trucks class for the first time since 2001, when Ales’s late uncle Karel won the last of his six titles. Jaroslav may not be as fancied as some of his rivals -including Macik Jr. and Loprais- but he still has the ambition and experience to be right up there at Dakar 2023.

J.V.: “I think it's necessary to set the highest goals. We want to win, but we know the Dakar is such a difficult competition that we can only evaluate it after crossing the finish line of the last stage. I've already driven six Dakars in four teams, so I have a general overview of Czech teams and trucks. Each has its pros and cons. What led me to return to Buggyra was the fact that I realised our truck wasn't good enough for really competitive racing. I wanted to try automatic transmission and a truck with a lot of power. The Tatra is a proven truck that has already endured terrible things on the Dakar. And there's half as much effort with an automatic gearbox. For me, as an 'older man', it's a bit of rest. After the crash and injury at my last Dakar, I'll ride more conservatively than before. My son Jarda Junior is starting as navigator for Ales Loprais. We won't give any ground on the track, this is sport. But if there's a problem, we definitely want to help each other. I won’t go around Jarda and he won’t go around me. I think this Dakar will be interesting and we’ll have fun as a family. We’re already joking around and making bets. I know Tomas from my previous experience with Buggyra, and although Rene is a little boisterous like me, he’s an excellent mechanic and navigates well. Tomas and I rode together at the Baja Poland, we complement each other, so I really believe in a decent result. Kamaz were professionals and racing was their job. It was impossible to compete with them, maybe only in technical passages. Without them, the competition will be very even now. I don’t want to compare myself to anyone. I will do my own race, and we’ll see what the result is at the end. Above all, we will be satisfied as long as we return home in good health.”