The Kalahari Rally, which integrates the series of events "Road to Dakar", took place between the 3rd and 10th of September in South Africa, and covered over 3600 kilometers along the borders with Botswana and Namibia, where the competitors braved the dreaded red sand dunes of the Kalahari Desert for six days.
68 teams from seven countries (South Africa, Botswana, Netherlands, United States of America, Zambia, Portugal and Angola) competed in the competition, divided into three categories – Motorbikes, Cars and SXS.
For João Lota, pilot, it was necessary to adopt a moderate pace and preserve the mechanics of the vehicle,
ensuring continuity in the race, so it was only imposed a stronger pace in the last stage, in an attempt to secure a place on the podium.
Nuno Santos, navigator, assumes that the biggest difficulties they faced, in addition to the long distances covered, were the cold and navigation, which required a very high level of concentration.
These factors raised the level of difficulty of the rally, and forced half of the competitors who competed to give up, according to a statement sent to VerAngola.
The event ended dramatically for the Angolan team, after a mechanical problem in the last 10 kilometers of the race, which forced them to cross the final goal with just three wheels.
Persistence ensured second place in the SXS category, sixth place in the general classification of Cars and first place as an international competitor in the four-wheel category, surpassing the objectives defined for this event.
The next challenge will be to secure first place in the Angolan Rally Raid Championship, to be played on September 18 in Chipipa Municipality, Huambo province, and to continue the preparation process for the Dakar Rally in 2023, reinforces the team.
The return to Angola is scheduled for the 15th of September, around 10:00 am.
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