A member of the Orion – Moto Racing Group team, he knows very well how painful a marathon race can be. The rider from Liberec took part in the famous Šestidenní, where in 2016 he won bronze medals with other colleagues. He also collected successes in the team enduro cup.
“In enduro, you spend about eight hours on a motorcycle, it’s more about skill and speed. In a long-distance rally, you still need to combine navigation and give your best. That’s the biggest difference, what I have to prepare for – checking the kilometers and keeping my head involved, because every mistake is punished,” described Romančík, who received the offer for the Dakar a few years ago.
He was approached by Ervín Krajčovič, head of the MRG team. “I am very grateful to him for that, I considered participating in the Dakar earlier, but I took advantage of it only now. I had to be sure if I could pass it mainly on a psychological level. This is perhaps even more important at the Dakar,” said Romančík, who tried his first long-distance rally this year. The qualification for the Dakar took place in Morocco and the experienced Czech driver did very well. Even in the last stage, he held first place among the rookies, eventually finishing in 18th place overall, becoming the fastest of the Czech competitors.
“On the final day I was more confident, I wanted to start racing a bit. But the camel grass punished me. It was very dusty and I missed this obstacle. I was happy that I made it at all,” Romančík described his first experience with a long-distance rally. “It’s really fast, it’s a big danger. I took it in an enduro style, I drove a lot with my eyes and anticipated, but there are really a lot of obstacles in the desert,” acknowledged the two-time domestic enduro champion and European vice-champion in the E2 class.
What does he consider to be the biggest trap? Dunes. “I was really exhausted from them, my wrist hurt. I didn’t enjoy them at all. They are special in that you never know what is behind them. The experienced ones will know how it is filled, inflated. I had to slow down in front of everyone.”
Photo: Photo: Orion – Moto Racing Group
Jaromír Romančík will drive the Dakar Rally for the first time in January 2024.
Even though Romančík has driven the biggest motocross tracks in Europe, it is not easy to prepare for the desert. “Perhaps I had no idea that terrain can optically merge when the sun is in the sky around twelve o’clock. There is a high probability that you will miss a dune, which happened to me once in Morocco. Fortunately, it was only a three-meter hill. I was so freaked out that I almost fell on an invisible dune,” marveled Romančík, who is not looking forward to long and tiring crossings at the Dakar.
Before you get to the start of the measured section, a portion of 300 or 400 kilometers may await you. You just drive on the road and count the kilometers to the end. “This program is probably the least pleasant for us bikers. When we had such a long crossing in Morocco, I was thinking of different options for what to do. You sit alone for three hours and maybe sing to yourself. I have to come up with a program for the Dakar,” said the MX1 category vice-champion in motocross, who even before the start overcame perhaps the most difficult obstacle of all – he managed to get the necessary funding for the start of the upcoming Dakar Rally.
“It took me a lot of time, I have my own business. Various enthusiasts helped me tremendously, but also people from the village of Mníšek. I was supported by almost everyone, including the mayor, I thank them very much for that,” was the enthusiastic Romančík, who will also ride for them at the Dakar.
“I want to keep my feet on the ground, especially to finish. I have to keep my head down, slow down a bit. The first year is an introductory one, I plan mainly to gain experience. And I want to thank Milan Engel, who also pushed me a lot and passed on experience,” Prokeš praised his teammate.
