The 2026 Dakar Rally continued on Friday with the stage 6 from Ha’il to Riyadh, where Aliyyah Koloc delivered a steady performance in the Ultimate category.
-- She moved up several positions during today’s special stage to finish in 38th. Her father, Martin Koloc, was forced to retire from the stage due to an engine problem.
Aliyyah Koloc reported an intense and physically demanding day, highlighted by extended running in dust and close competition with another female driver. “We caught a few cars ahead of us and gradually overtook them. Later, we got stuck in heavy dust and had a long battle with another competitor. We eventually managed to get past her, but shortly afterwards we had a puncture and had to change the wheel,” Aliyyah summed up her day.
Despite the challenges, Aliyyah finish the stage in good spirits. “I’m really tired, but I genuinely enjoyed the fight out there. We still have a long liaison to the bivouac, so I’m glad tomorrow is the rest day,” she added.
Saturday marks the Dakar rest day, though full downtime isn’t guaranteed for Buggyra ZM Racing. “At the finish we noticed a small oil leak and hope it’s nothing serious. The team will be working on the car all day tomorrow and I believe they’ll sort everything out,” Aliyyah said.
For Martin Koloc and co-driver Mirko Brun stage 6 ended with disappointment after their engine lost power. “A tough but great stage. Unfortunately, we couldn’t finish due to a technical problem. The valvetronic system in our engine failed, dropping the engine from about 400 horsepower to around 100. I couldn’t even climb a hill in first gear. In the end we made it to the road, where the team picked us up,” Martin explained.
The issue involved the valvetronic variable valve control system, which regulates air intake. Failure typically forces the engine into a low-power safe mode.
The Dakar Rally resumes on Sunday with stage 7 from Riyadh to Wadi Ad Dawasir, featuring 462 kilometers of timed stage and 414 kilometers of liaison. After the rest day and necessary service work, reliability and endurance will be crucial as the crews enter the second week of the rally.
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