Plenty of Dakar learning for Aliyyah Koloc on Dubai International Baja

Dec 2, 2023

Summary

19-year-old Aliyyah Koloc garnered valuable lessons and achieved a solid result at the Dubai International Baja, a preparation event leading up to the renowned Dakar Rally. Competing in the top category with her Red-Lined REVO T1+ car, Aliyyah and her co-driver Riaan Greyling finished 10th overall, surpassing some factory crews and more experienced drivers. The Dubai International Baja featured a route of nearly 700 kilometers, with just under 350 kilometers being competitive. While the dunes in Dubai are smaller than those in the upcoming Dakar Rally, the event served as a helpful warm-up.

Aliyyah expressed satisfaction with her performance, noting that the second day was an improvement upon the first, despite facing minor navigational issues. She emphasized the need for more aggressive driving and acknowledged the importance of gaining experience in the T1+ car. Aliyyah's team principal, Martin Koloc, praised her progress and highlighted the necessity of accumulating more kilometers to enhance her skills.

The Dakar Rally is scheduled to take place from January 5-19, 2024, in Saudi Arabia. Starting in Al-UIa and finishing in Yanbu on the Red Sea, the rally will traverse the country, including the Empty Quarter. Aliyyah aims to gain more preparation and testing opportunities before the Dakar Rally to further acclimate to her car.

Preparing for the world-renowned Dakar Rally, 19-year-old Aliyyah Koloc took plenty of lessons on board and scored a solid result at her prestigious home event, the Dubai International Baja, last weekend.

Monaco, France - December 2, 2023 /MarketersMEDIA/ —

At the wheel of her Red-Lined REVO T1+ car, competing in the top category, Aliyyah from Dubai and South African co-driver Riaan Greyling finished 10th overall in the international field, contested by many leading stars including multiple Dakar champion Nasser Al-Attiyah, who won the event. Despite climbing a learning curve, Aaliyah finished ahead of some factory crews and many other drivers with more experience than her.

The Dubai International Baja, covering some similar dunes and tracks to those that competitors will face at the Dakar Rally in January in nearby Saudi Arabia, covered a route of nearly 700 kilometres, of which just under 350 kilometres were competitive, from Friday to Sunday. However, the dunes in Dubai tend to be smaller than those that will be seen on the fortnight-long Dakar Rally, making this very much a warm-up event.

Throughout the rally, both the car and driver performed well, with Aliyyah banking valuable experience at her last test Baja before the actual Dakar, which she will be contesting for the second time. It was also Aaliyah’s second time at the Dubai International Baja, and her first at the wheel of a top category vehicle, after having previously completed another event with the T1+ car in South Africa – where the Buggyra ZM Racing car is based – to get to grips with the category.

Despite the formidable challenge of competing at the sharp end of the field, Aaliyah remained comfortably in charge of her machine en route to a well-deserved top 10 finish, which augurs well for the epic Dakar marathon that gets underway in less than two months.

Aliyyah said: “We learned a lot from this rally, and I’m generally happy with everything we did. The second day was better than the first one, where we had a few little mistakes and a couple of small navigational problems. The more driving you do the more beneficial it is, especially as I don't have a lot of experience of this car. I think I need to be a bit more aggressive with it; for now I feel I’m being too gentle, but it’s better to be safe than sorry! Both events I have done so far with this car, here in Dubai and in South Africa, have definitely helped me grow as a driver, so I’m pleased about that, although we need to drive more in the desert to get more out of the car.”

Her team principal Martin Koloc added: “There were some good bits and some bad bits, but Aliyyah has been improving a lot and that is the main thing; we also found some new areas to focus on. In the end, you cannot fake it: Aliyyah needs the kilometres and this is what we are working towards. Now we aim to give her as much more preparation as possible before the Dakar so that she can have some more testing and really get under the skin of the car.”

The Dakar Rally takes place from January 5-19, 2024, in Saudi Arabia: starting in the city of Al-UIa, crossing the country in the direction of the Empty Quarter and finishing in Yanbu on the shores of the Red Sea.

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