Dakar 2023: Stage 6 - Bruise all over his thigh, tremendous pain. Four-wheeler Tuma Dakar adventure got to an end.

The journey of quadricyclist Zdeněk Tůma on this year's Dakar ended. The BARTH Racing team rider had to give up the fight for his dream destination early due to an injury he sustained after a crash in the fourth stage. "The decision was very difficult. It is very emotional, but after yesterday's suffering I had to admit that it is better not to take any risks and that health comes first," said Tůma, who was tenth overall in the famous rally.

Tůma's fifth Dakar appearance was a cruel one, the first time he will not finish the world's toughest motor race. From the opening prologue onwards, he was unlucky to encounter all sorts of pitfalls. He had to change the engine, punctured the rear and front wheel and involuntarily tasted the Saudi Arabian sands three times.

"This year has really been one big piece of bad luck from the start. It culminated in that crash on stage four where I got stuck in that bank. I thought I wouldn't be able to get up again, my legs and the bike were taken away. I tried to fight and not give up, but my health is more important," Tůma stressed after he decided not to start the sixth stage. "I had a check-up to see if there was anything torn or broken in my leg. It was not confirmed, but I have a huge bruise across my thigh and it is very painful."

Last year's fourth man was bruised not only all over his body from the rough race, but also his Yamaha, named Daky. "She got a wreck. We didn't even have enough spare parts to put it back together after the crashes. Even the frame is cracked," added the 50-year-old rider from BARTH Racing in Pardubice.

"It was hard to admit it, but it was wise to end the misery so that something worse wouldn't happen. I was actually lucky that I didn't break my legs. However, I couldn't ride as well as I would have liked. Besides, it's not just about speed. You get hit by trucks that ruin the road and then you have to go off the ideal route. And that's another danger. In any case, it was the toughest Dakar I have ever experienced," added Tůma, who did not finish the Dakar Rally for the first time in his career.

Automatic translation from the Original press release
Souce Barth Racing