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Rally Raid Estonia will inject some, properly, Estonian flavour into the 2023 Dakar Rally after they make their début within the legendary rally raid with a pair of countrymen and newcomers. Urvo Männama will race within the T1 class in a Toyota Hilux whereas Toomas Triisa is in a Can-Am in T4. Risto Lepik serves as the previous’s co-driver and Mart Meeru works with the latter. The group revealed their Dakar lineup on Saturday on the T1 Tallinn shopping center within the nation’s capital.
Männama’s Hilux was acquired from Benediktas Vanagas, who has upgraded to a Hilux T1+ for the 2023 Rally. Whereas Vanagas is from Lithuania, his co-driver Kuldar Sikk is Estonian.
Though Männama didn’t run any of the World Rally-Raid Championship legs in 2022, he’s closely concerned in home and Jap European rally raids. He and Lepik received their class on the Rallye Breslau in Poland in July.
Off the observe, he’s the director of company growth for Foxway Recommerce, an organization that gives resale providers for digital gadgets.
“The thought of the Dakar Rally got here to me a very long time in the past,” Männama told ERR Sport. “As soon as in school, I advised a trainer that I’d be the primary Estonian to drive a automobile within the Dakar Rally. One other large concept was that I’d be the primary Estonian to drive a automobile to the highest of Mount Everest, however this can be a barely extra sophisticated plan.
“We truly wished to take part final 12 months, however a couple of months earlier than, we went to compete in Morocco and there I had a little bit of a nasty feeling. I suppose I wasn’t prepared at that second.
“The primary objective was to make it to the Rally. Now, the objective is to make it to the tip, as a result of solely half of the individuals drive to the tip of the Dakar Rally. Additionally, our objective is to be the very best rookie in our class. You’ll be able to solely obtain this as soon as, subsequent 12 months you received’t be capable of.”
Triisa secured his spot within the race by way of the Road to Dakar, which rewards these with no prior Dakar Rally expertise with a free entry in the event that they carry out properly at choose races. Specifically, an eighth-place general end within the T4 class on the Rallye du Maroc in October was sufficient to obtain an invitation. Others to accumulate 2023 Rally slots because of the programme embrace Stefano Caimi and Ruben Saldaña Goñi on the Rallye du Maroc, Luis Diaz Soza on the Atacama Rally, and David Pearson on the Sonora Rally.
He beforehand ran the Dakar Rally on a motorcycle in 2017, profitable the Malle Moto class. Formally often known as Unique by Motul, Malle Moto is infamously tough as riders are usually not permitted any exterior help past some provides. Twenty-seven riders are competing within the class in 2023.
“In comparison with bikes, solely the journey that needs to be taken is comparable. Every part else continues to be radically totally different,” Triisa explained. “For us, the largest distinction is that there are two of us collectively: one drives and the opposite offers details about the place we have to go. Placing the knowledge collectively was probably the most tough a part of the preparation half.
“We’ve got needed to find out how the world of four-wheelers works. We’ve got been making ready for the Rally for the reason that starting of summer time. We completed the season on the final World Cup stage in Morocco, which known as the ‘Mini Dakar Rally’, and there we bought an concept of what the competitors may seem like.
“I’ve been a racer all my life, so the result’s undoubtedly vital to me. We kind of know the potential rivals, as a result of the World Cup stage in Morocco confirmed who’s coming to the Dakar Rally. There are undoubtedly some surprises that we haven’t seen but. For us, probably the most tough factor is that we don’t have a variety of expertise with a four-wheeler. We’ve got to make use of our alternatives properly and keep away from errors.”
The 2023 Dakar Rally begins on 31 December 2022.
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