The 2026 Dakar Rally continued today with stage 8, a demanding loop around Wadi Ad Dawasir. With her father and teammate Martin Koloc no longer in the competition, 21-year-old Aliyyah Koloc is carrying the Buggyra ZM Racing colors alone in the Ultimate category. Despite starting the day already feeling the accumulated fatigue of a challenging event, she brought her Red-Lined REVO T1+ through a demanding stage without major issues, finishing 37th.
“Today’s stage was about 480 kilometers and it was really long. The car worked well, and we didn’t have any big problem,” Aliyyah said at the finish. Once again, dust was the key factor, affecting both pace and navigation: “We spent most of the time in dust, and it was tough. At one point, we even got a little lost because of it. Sometimes there were five or six cars together, and when you’re driving in a group like that, it’s not pleasant.”
The stage also featured several very narrow sections. “There were parts between trees, and in some places there was no room to avoid them. We scratched the car a bit, but nothing serious,” she added. Even so, the crew kept moving forward and made up ground: “We overtook a few cars, and towards the end it got better. We were on our own for a while with no dust, so I was happy.” Her time loss to the stage winner was 43 minutes.
On Tuesday, the Dakar heads from from Wadi Ad Dawasir to Bivouac Refuge for stage 9, featuring 410 kilometers of special stage and 122 kilometers of liaison. As the rally enters its decisive phase, Aliyyah continues her steady and resilient march toward the finish as Buggyra’s only remaining competitor in the car category.
Source: Buggyra Racing
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