Aliyyah Koloc tests T1 car in Namibia in full preparation for competing in 2024 Dakar Rally. Designed to further Aliyyah’s knowledge, experience, and actual time behind the wheel of Buggyra Racing/Red Lined VK50 car, the Czech-Emirati teenager embraced the opportunity to gain lead-time on the sands of Namibia.
Questions abound on how does an 18 year old female go from racing Off-Road Rally to competing in the highest category of T1 in such a short amount of time? It was only in January 2023 that Aliyyah completed her first Dakar in T3 category, experiencing all the challenges of managing a vehicle with co-driver Stephane Duple.
And, as Aliyyah states, driving the T1 car is very different from operating the side-x-side vehicle, taking into consideration heavier weight, shifting, management of tyres, along with learning the mechanical and technical aspects of the vehicle, which will be tested through-out the world’s most grueling race.
All of which makes planning how to achieve goals based on Aliyyah’s natural talent key factor for the team’s owner, CEO and father, Martin Koloc. Drawing on his own career success and achievements as 2x European Truck Champion, Martin pulls together all necessary components of making such giant steps forward possible.
From providing Aliyyah opportunities to compete and refine her racing skills in varying Motorsport disciplines, to embracing diversity of thought on what events Aliyyah would compete in, to extending her self-belief and development as a driver racing against the world’s best Team’s, Martin’s deliverance of thought has been pivotal to support Aliyyah’s progression to T1 competition.
The character traits of Martin has provided Aliyyah the back-bone to form and develop her own racing skills. The teenager enjoys the feeling of how far she can push levels of performance within the zones of safety on terrain which shifts as easily as the wind blows. And, Aliyyah’s sense of determination to fulfil her own desire to race supersedes the undeniable amount of physical and mental energy that is required to compete against world class driver’s.
Aliyyah: ‘It was my first time driving the T1 car in the desert and I even got to drive the T1+ car for the first time, so it was a really productive week of testing. Right now, every time I get to drive this car I learn something new. We practiced many different situations that could occur in the rallies.
I think one of the biggest challenges will be in the dunes. The car itself is pretty heavy and with the constant changing conditions in the sand driving will be very tricky. In the T1+ car the wheels are bigger so it’s for sure better and more comfortable to drive in the desert compared to the T1. Of course, I need more seat time and I won’t miss any opportunity to clock up kilometers’.
Not withstanding the challenges Aliyyah, co-driver and Buggyra Racing Team will face in 2024 Dakar Rally, how each day/Stage will be managed will rest on Aliyyah’s capable shoulders, supported by crew at hand. For certain, racing the 46th edition of Dakar not only tests the ability of the driver and Team, but also the mechanical and technical aspects of the vehicle, which affects the overall result after racing 12 Stages across Saudi Arabia’s desert.
The coordinated efforts of the Constructors capabilities of ensuring the vehicle’s strength and reliability of performance racing Dakar remains key factor in the three-pronged approach to achieving goals. Driver – Buggyra Racing Team – Red Lined Motorsports combine attributes to race with full Team, mechanical and technical support on the most extreme terrain and weather conditions for total of 14 days.
There are elements which remain outside realms of control – heat, changes in weather as witnessed in massive rain down-pours in 2023 Dakar, Stages where assistance over 48 hours is not allowed, and time penalties due to not reaching wayward markers and finish-line prior to Stage end.
Dealing with such challenges remains most critical for overall standings, requiring mitigation of errors prior to Dakar Rally start, prompting careful planning to aid Aliyyah and co-driver for 2024 Dakar Rally start on January 5 – 19. As Martin explains: ‘I am very happy that we found all key components needed for Aliyyah’s progress towards T1+. Strategic partnership with Red-Lined strongly complements our industrial knowledge. The preparation plan for Aliyyah and the car has been carefully designed towards Dakar 2024′.
Consultation with the vehicle’s constructor, Red Lined Motorsports, reveals how emphatic CEO Terence Marsh remains towards delivering high end performance in T1 category. Focused on exchanging as much information as possible to elevate Aliyyah’s knowledge on driving the car in the sand, Terence puts theory into practice in real-terms which in turn produces data for analysis on car performance ahead of Dakar in 6 months time.
Terrence March: ‘Our five-day testing session in the beautiful and demanding dunes of Namibia allowed us the ability to collect a significant amount of data on our all new Red-Lined Revo T1+ which we can now analyze in several ways to ensure that we have the optimal set-up leading up to and into the 2024 Dakar.
During the testing, we tried several different suspension set-ups as well as varied our fuel loads and then also ran different tyre pressures with the new specification bigger wheels in order to get a better understanding of the characteristics of this new race car. With the specifications of the new T1+ category leading to a longer, wider and heavy race car together with the bigger tyres and increased suspension travel, it is important for us to understand the overall behaviour of this machine in the changing and varied conditions that the Dakar will present us’.
To wrap up the testing session in Namibia, Aliyyah’s take-outs were to learn and absorb all knowledge passed on from Terence, for Martin, the testing was another tick in the box of progress achieved, and for Terence, testing providing information to future proof the strength and reliability of the car, which as he puts it – ‘remains most critical factor in Rally Raid Endurance events‘.
Header photo: Aliyyah Koloc testing in Namibia. Image: Buggyra Racing/Red Lined Motorsport
Words: Sharon Cox.
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