Baja do Pinhal 2020: “I want to enjoy every piece of the track!“

Off-track, you just see an attractive young lady. But on track, you see a Baja European champion and the first Czech female rider who finished the Dakar Rally – right at her first attempt. Olga Rouckova – or Ollie, as she prefers to be called – returns to racing as quad rider this weekend at Baja do Pinhal in Portugal. Before the start, Ollie agreed to answer some questions to Rally-Raid Network. 

– Why have you decided to start in Baja do Pinhal?

– Why did I decide to race in Portugal? The answer is simple... After a year's break when I raced in SSV, I'm returning to the quad. The best start is where I left off. 

– What are your goals for the Portuguese race? 

– I want to enjoy every piece of the track! 

– Do you know any Portuguese riders? Do you have any friends among them? 

– Yes, I have friends in Portugal. I'm really looking forward to meeting them.

– You had some hot moments in the days before departing for Portugal as you still missed some parts. Did you manage to finish the reparation of your quad?

– Yes, my Dakar Yamaha needed some repair after 15,000 kilometres, but due to the pandemic, it is very difficult to get parts. Yamaha helped me a lot. I was quite stressed, but I trusted my mechanic and my baby is ready to race now!

– Have you arrived to Portugal already?

– We are on the way. We had some “adventure” yesterday afternoon. After 2,000 kilometres behind us, some 50 kilometres from Burgos, suddenly I heard a bang. We had a puncture on rear left tyre. We didn’t have a jack, we didn’t have air… Finally we walked 2.5 kilometres along the highway to a parking lot, where we found a truck from the Czech Republic. The driver lent us everything we needed, but we had to sleep in Burgos. When the truck service opened at 9 am, we were finally able to buy a new tyre and repair our spare. It was quite a victory for us!

– After Baja do Pinhal, what are your plans for the next months? 

– I want to take part in other World and European Baja championship races, depending on the Covid situation, of course.

– Do you plan to take part in Dakar 2021? Why did you miss this year's race? 

– I'm working to be able to start in Dakar 2021. It's a very difficult road. I had to miss the last Dakar due to the lack of budget.

– On behalf of Rally-Raid Network, we wish you all the best both for Baja do Pinhal and your way to Dakar!