Tatra 815 Buggyra Testing
The end of last week was marked for motor sport fans, among other things, with premium testing of Tatra 815 Dakar truck, with which Martin Kolomý will present himself at Rally Dakar 2014. The testing took place on the proven circuit in Senica, Slovakia.
Outside Frequently Trodden Paths
The relevance ascribed by Buggyra to the joint project is evidenced by the fact that the team sent David Vršecký for the testing. And that was despite the fact that the Roudnice trucker is preparing for another racing weekend of the European Race Truck Championship in Zolder already this weekend. "We have agreed that in addition to comments by Martin Kolomý David ´s view will certainly not be out of the question, as the latter may have different opinions on many things," confirmed before the beginning of the event technical director of Buggyra Robin Dolejš. At the same time he revealed that in Senica brand new original components will be introduced, not yet used in truck development. "We are known for our avoidance of frequently trodden paths. If we had trodden established paths Tatra would hardly have invited us for the cooperation.“
Managements of both parties agreed before the beginning of the testing that they found themselves in an unusual situation. On the one hand a brand new truck, i.e. a prototype, and on the other the objective of defence of the Dakar positions won by Martin Kolomý in the past. "This is a long-term project. Its aim is a truck that will very soon not only successfully compete with but also beat Kamaz engines. Although the development bears considerable risks we would like to succeed at the next Dakar race already. We would like to leave the rhetoric like "our truck runs excellently but we have ranked last but one or did not reach the finish at all" to others," claimed Buggyra manager Jan Kalivoda.
Significant Move Forward
The two-day testing of Tatra 815 Buggyra brought a lot of valuable experience. In the first place the finding that the rally race truck brings a number of development opportunities. "The testing has shown the importance of our transformation from a mere engine supplier to a partner working on the overall concept of the truck. Truck development lies in the fact that a summary of individual excellent solutions does not always bring an excellent overall result. All the solutions need maximum harmonisation to make an excellent whole,“ said Robin Dolejš at the end of the testing. "We have our computers packed with data, including Martin ´s and David ´s comments. We know the direction of our next steps. As we find ourselves in an extremely competitive environment and have invested a lot of resources in the know-how I will not give particular examples of course. But we will be well prepared for Dakar.“
David Vršecký is clear in that on the basis of his own experience he will not sit in the cab next to Martin Kolomý too soon. "The couple of commonly covered laps were enough for me to realize why Martin belongs to the top world long-distance pilots. But I have formed my own opinion on the engine on the basis of my own truck driving experience,“ confirmed David. As he added, the differences between the race truck and the long-distance rally truck are extreme. "The rally truck is about much bigger driving flexibility. Unlike the circuit the cross-country race terrain changes by every lap. The terrain of Dakar changes several times in the course of a single stage of the race. On the other hand there is more time in the course of the rally to address the occurring issues.“
Robin Dolejš appreciated participation of his colleague in the testing: "My words that David sees and feels certain things differently from Martin have been confirmed. And this was the purpose of his involvement in the testing. His performance nominated him a testing driver for Dakar.“
Among Own Kin
When the testing finished the joint team moved to Valašské Meziříčí. The partner company Bonver with the help of Ambassador Marek Vašut and a rich musical and entertainment programme celebrated 21st anniversary of its foundation. A day later the team travelled to the Tatra polygon.
