Tomáš Ouředníček is used to long and grueling rally raids; he has nine Dakar Rallies to his name, after all. Maybe those years of experience helped him prepare for the ‘real’ Dakar rally, but that certainly doesn’t mean the Africa Eco Race is easier.

The first third of the Africa Eco Race has been a trial by fire for Ouředníček, a newcomer to the event who wanted to see what the original Dakar’s route was like (his Dakar debut came in 2009, when it was moved to South America). A faulty differential has nagged his Toyota GR DKR Hilux since the start of the race, forcing him to race conservatively to prevent it from overheating.

As if he didn’t have enough on his plate, he and his team found water mixed with the engine’s oil during Stage #4 on Friday. Had the issue remained, the oil would be contaminated and cause the engine’s performance to dip or worse. Toyota Gazoo Racing Czech traced it to an intercooler leak and made a temporary fix.

When not busy in the bivouac, Ouředníček and his navigator Lukáš Barták were getting lost.

“Although it was a very long stage, we did not spare ourselves and went at a good pace. Unfortunately, we lost about 15 minutes looking for a waypoint and were passed by other cars, which we then had to pass back,” Ouředníček explained.

“By the end, we were physically destroyed, and the organizers prepared a demanding technical section in some small dunes for us at the end. I couldn’t even turn the steering wheel with how tired I was. I am very happy to be at the finish line.”

Despite the troubles, he can at least take solace in setting the fastest T1.1 time and second quickest for all cars as he did on Thuesday. Benoit Fretin continues to lead in his Century CR6, clearing Ouředníček by four minutes for the outright stage win while he has half an hour on Vincent Vroninks for the overall.

Yamaha and Aprilia’s duel continued, this time with the former coming out on top as Alessandro Botturi beat Jacopo Cerutti by 2:50 to regain the overall lead. An off day for Aprilia’s Francesco Montanari, who finished 21st, lost him third place among bikes to Pål Anders Ullevålseter.

Stage #4 winners

Moto

Class	Overall	Number	Rider	Team	Time
450cc	3	2	Pål Anders Ullevålseter	Norwit Racing	5:48:55
Over 450cc	58	63	Ai Tanaka	Kisarazu Base	23:25:00
Multi-Cylinder (650cc–1000cc)	1	3	Alessandro Botturi	Yamaha Ténéré World Raid Team	5:24:36
Multi-Cylinder (Over 1000cc)	11	5	Joan Pedrero	Harley-Davidson	6:17:47
Quad	60	99	Laurent Hellemans	Hellau	26:10:00

Auto

Class	Overall	Number	Driver	Team	Time
T1.1	2	207	Tomáš Ouředníček	Toyota Gazoo Racing Czech	5:21:51
T1.3	1	200	Benoit Fretin	Century Racing	5:17:17
T5.1	7	401	William van Groningen	Dust Warriors	6:16:32
SSV	4	251	Pierre Lafay	Team Gazzafond	5:28:01

Leaders after Stage #4

Moto

Class	Overall	Number	Rider	Team	Time
450cc	3	2	Pål Anders Ullevålseter	Norwit Racing	17:34:49
Over 450cc	64	63	Ai Tanaka	Kisarazu Base	97:52:00
Multi-Cylinder (650cc–1000cc)	1	3	Alesandro Botturi	Yamaha Ténéré World Raid Team	16:00:30
Multi-Cylinder (Over 1000cc)	9	5	Joan Pedrero	Harley-Davidson	18:34:03
Quad	60	99	Laurent Hellemans	Hellau	73:02:29

Auto

Class	Overall	Number	Driver	Team	Time
T1.1	2	201	Vincent Vroninks	QFF Racing	16:24:56
T1.3	1	200	Benoit Fretin	Century Racing	15:54:30
T5.1	7	400	Gerrit Zuurmond	Rainbow Truck Team	19:44:43
SSV	4	251	Pierre Lafay	Team Gazzafond	16:44:51

Featured image credit: Toyota Gazoo Racing Czech