While Aliyyah is pushing toward her fourth Dakar finish, Martin is experiencing his very first Dakar from behind the wheel after years of managing the team from the bivouac.
But the reality of the rally quickly took its toll. A broken finger, gearbox trouble, engine issues and three unfinished stages left him unable to continue.
However, stepping out of the car does not mean stepping away from the team. Martin will remain fully involved in the bivouac, supporting Aliyyah and contributing to the team’s data collection, development work, and day-to-day decisions.
His role in the early stages reflected that commitment. In stage 1, Martin stayed almost an hour with Aliyyah, helping diagnose and repair what he could in the desert. In stage 3, he stopped again when she faced more technical issues, at the same moment teammate Karel Poslední, racing in the truck category for Buggyra ZM Racing, also stopped to assist. Ultimately, Téo Calvet, from the Buggyra Academy and a close friend of Aliyyah, towed her to the refueling point. It was a chain of solidarity typical of the Dakar, but even more so typical of Buggyra’s DNA.
Two drivers, one shared goal
Aliyyah and Martin Koloc have very different driving styles, which means different stresses on their vehicles and often different problems. But that difference has become an advantage. For the first week, they combined their feedback and data each day to help the team engineers improve both cars further. With Martin now out of the race, the focus shifts entirely to Aliyyah and the continued improvement of the V6 turbo powering her Red-Lined Revo T1+. Martin will remain closely involved in the technical discussions from the bivouac.
The team behind the scenes
With two cars experiencing different issues nearly every day, Buggyra’s mechanics and support crew often had to work late into the night to rebuild the vehicles after each stage. Despite the long hours and little sleep, their commitment is unwavering and their goal clear: to give Aliyyah the best possible machine to continue.
A tough Dakar, but a united team
With Aliyyah running 60th in the Ultimate category and Martin no longer continuing, the results do not tell the full story of this Dakar. This week has been defined by teamwork and family spirit. And the refusal to give up when things get tough.
The Dakar is far from over. And neither is Aliyyah, backed by her team and family.