Štefan Svitko Fine-Tunes his Form for Dakar 2018
- Štefan Svitko goes to Dakar with podium ambitions
- Motorcycle and pilot vehicles set sail tomorrow for South America - 23 November
- Members of the SLOVNAFT Rally Team fly to Peru at the end of December 2017
BRATISLAVA, 22 November 2018 - Three-time Europe champion, multiple champion of the SR in endurance and cross-country rallying, and the most successful Slovak motorcycle rider. Štefan Svitko will take on the colours of the SLOVNAFT Rally Team for the ninth time at the prestigious Dakar Rally 2018. The 40th anniversary Dakar Rally will begin on 6 January in Lima, the capital of Peru and continue on through Bolivia with the final stage ending in Cordoba, Argentina.
Štefan Svitko is highly motivated to achieve the best possible result. However, this depends on several factors. Good conditioning is essential, combined with a reliable and efficient riding style and - last but not least - a great deal of luck. “I want to focus more on the details in each stage, so I do not pay for administrative penalties like the previous year. However, this is very difficult in the extreme conditions of the rally, especially if you think that a single mistake can ruin all your ambitions. This year, with a bit of luck, I will attempt to get on the podium” Last year, Štefan Svitko finished in 25th place, mainly due to penalties, such as prohibited refuelling in the neutralization zone. The year before, he won second place and a Beduine trophy, which is the best placing of a Slovak racer in the history of the Dakar Rally.
Again, this year, Štefan Svitko will be backed in the Dakar by a KTM motorcycle with a factory support team. As part of the SLOVNAFT Rally Team, Štefan Svitko will again be supported by the experienced duo of mechanic Zlatko Novosád and Martin Kubačka, who is overseeing logistics and information transfer of the live situation to Slovakia. Other members of the team include Dominik Žazo and Dominik Guláš responsible mainly for the caravan transport between the various stages of the rally.
The start of the next Dakar will again test Štefan’s fitness and riding skills, as well as the quality of the motorcycle, whose top notch performance will be provided by MOL Dynamic lubricants, including motor oils intended for extreme heavy duty operations.
In addition to intense training, the rider also needs to fully recover from any injuries. Štefan has managed to successfully recover from a fracture of his left hand, which he suffered last month at the Team Endurance Rally Europe Championship in Gelnica.
Before this injury, Štefan was in great form. He convincingly won the Serres Rally of Greece in September, where he won six of the seven stages and basically raced with himself.„Dakar is the highest milestone for me in racing, so I will dedicate myself fully to preparation over the following weeks. I feel very good, but the desert route is really challenging, so I will focus my training on strength and dexterity”Štefan explains. Štefan trained riding on sand dunes in Morocco just a week ago.
Since his first run at Dakar in 2010, Štefan Svitko has always had the support of Slovnaft. He took 13th place at his first Dakar Rally and became the most successful rookie. The subsequent year he suffered a motorcycle failure and could not complete the eighth stage having to retire. Two years later, he had a nasty fall only three stages before the finish of the rally, and had to retire. In 2013 he took 9th place, but in 2012 and 2015 he was fifth overall. In 2016, he took second place.
Supporters of the Slovak racer can watch events unfold throughout the entire rally and view important information from backstage on his fan page: www.facebook.com/StefanSvitkoFanklub.
Contact Person:
Anton Molnár
Spokesman and Director of Business and Marketing Communications
Phone: +421 905 393 161