After her accident in yesterday’s stage four of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Buggyra ZM Racing driver Aliyyah Koloc has been discharged today from hospital, to which she was airlifted for medical evaluation as a precautionary measure. Her co-driver Sébastien Delaunay was unharmed.
The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is notoriously difficult, but this year the competitors were met with some of the biggest dunes in the world. « If you take the two hardest stages of the Dakar and repeat them every day for five days, that’s when you get the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, » says Martin Koloc, Buggyra ZM Racing’s CEO and team principal. « Aliyyah had been doing really well the first three stages, learning how to adapt to this difficult terrain in her new turbo-charged car, » he added.
The incident, which ended her third participation in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge early, occurred 38 kilometers into stage four while the crew was navigating a high dune at low speed. Upon reaching the crest, the vehicle unexpectedly hit a patch of soft sand, causing it to lose stability. The car subsequently rolled down approximately 100 meters and came to a stop in a ditch at the base of the dune.
« I was surprised by the very soft sand, which probably collected after the sand storm that had hit the area the day before. There was nothing that I could do to stop the car from rolling down the dune. It was pretty scary, but the most important thing is that both Séb and I weren’t injured. I am still a little bit shaken and will take the next couple of weeks to rest and fully recover, » said Aliyyah Koloc on leaving the hospital.
The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge was the first time that Aliyyah raced in a turbo-charged car, the Red-Lined Revo GTR T1+. In the highest category of rally-raids, the Ultimate, she competed against big names like Nasser Al-Attiyah, Martin Prokop or Sebastien Loeb.
« Though the accident cut my rally short, I am really happy with my driving and the way the car behaved. I felt comfortable with the new turbocharged engine, and I will gain more experience in the upcoming events. But for now, I’ll concentrate on recovering fully from this accident. I would also like to thank Sébastien, my father (note: Martin Koloc), and the whole Buggyra team. They supported me in every way possible. Thank you guys. You rock! », Aliyyah said with a big smile.
Aliyyah’s next rally raid will be the Baja Jordan, part of the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, from April 10-12.