Martin Prokop was not happy with his Czech compatriots in the Truck class following the Dakar Rally’s third stage.

Prokop’s Ford Raptor endured a difficult Stage #3 on Tuesday, finishing 48th in Ultimate. In a post-stage debrief, Prokop explained the brake system had been worn down, forcing his team to disassemble the entire setup beforehand. Once that was resolved, the driveshaft ended up briefly catching fire, setting him even further back.

However, the crux of his grievances focused on the IVECO trucks of Aleš Loprais and Martin Macík Jr., the former going on to win the stage in his class and the latter the overall leader.

Prokop alleged the two of them refused to yield and let his faster Raptor pass them despite repeatedly sending an overtaking request via the Sentinel system. With the dust that the trucks were kicking up, Prokop feels they only slowed him down even more.

“The Truck category didn’t make me happy at all,” Prokop said. “We set off, wanting to push a bit, but the trucks were really slow. They kick up a lot of dust and don’t let anyone pass, they don’t respond to the Sentinel. Even though they’re Czech buddies, they had zero fair play points.”

Loprais was quick to defend his driving, which he did ahead of Stage #4 on Wednesday. He insisted he never received a Sentinel order from Prokop, while his pace was safe enough that it should not have been an issue.

“Anyone who followed the waypoints and checkpoints could see that we were constantly driving ahead,” he started. “In the Truck category, we saw that Martin had a technical problem. And we were constantly driving together at a 30-second gap with (Vaidotas) Žala, who we were fighting for a stage finish.

“We did not get a single Sentinel signal. Since we did not receive any signal, there was no reason to let anyone go. I paid close attention to the mirrors in various zones, and I can confirm that I didn’t see anyone from the Car category behind us. In fact, nobody from the Car category saw us or overtook us. We just kept driving forward. It’s also because the lead cars were in front.

“The only possibility is that Martin’s Sentinel was not working, or more likely, that he was not close enough for us to receive the signal. That’s all there is.

“I’m willing to make our onboard available, even though we have the media rights for three minutes of content. The onboard will show that we did not get any signal from the faster car behind us because it simply wasn’t close enough.

“That’s it. I explained it to the guys even after the stage was over. I’m sorry that Martin handled it the way he handled it and shouted at us. I don’t like these outbursts here at Dakar. I know there are emotions and I’ve definitely experienced a lot at Dakar and I know how emotional it is. I know the guys had a bad stage yesterday, but I’m not going to just take it so that they can lay it on us.

“Martin, we are not the result of your ruined stage yesterday. That was a different moment. You know where it happened. We went into this stage with a clear conscience. The guys in my cabin will confirm it. I’m not the type to hold someone back, so I wish you good luck.

“Next time, let’s talk it out in person.”

Featured image credit: Antonin Vincent / DPPI