A week with Big Shock Racing
At the end of May 2017 I spent a week with the Big Shock Racing team (today MM Technology), who go to Tunisia to train for the Dakar. Martin Macík senior is a designer of racing trucks and a former Dakar Rally driver, Martin Macík junior races the Dakar in a truck his dad built.
They took us to their favourite oasis, Ksar Ghilane, which is surrounded on all sides by desert and dunes. We had off-road quad bikes, off-road motorbikes and, of course, the racing truck at our disposal. Plus two support Toyotas, certified to take part in the Dakar as press cars. We'd have a lot of fun with those on three more Dakars in the future 🙂
There were plenty of us taking part in the dune testing, mostly from KPCS: me, Mirek, his mate Jonáš, Zelenáč, Dvořka from Gopas and my neighbour Míra.
Friday 26 May 2017, Djerba
Back at the airport in Prague I'd warned the lads that there isn't much to drink in the desert, so they should buy something. So everyone bought bottles of rum, whisky and god knows what else. In the end we had more booze there than we could possibly get through 😄
In the evening, the first stop: the Royal Garden Palace resort by the sea on Djerba. Domes, arches, palm trees and a pool lit up in the dark. For dinner a buffet with no end in sight, and then live music on the stage.
Saturday 27 May 2017, Djerba
A day by the sea before it all kicks off. A morning walk along the beach, where camels were grazing between the volleyball net and the sun loungers, one of them was busy munching on a bush. Red drinks by the pool and a shisha in the lobby in the evening. In the afternoon I flew the drone over the beach and the hotel, now and then I let someone else have a go too.
Sunday 28 May 2017, Djerba – Ajim – Matmata – Ksar Ghilane
In the morning, around the island by minibus. On one street a severed cow's head was hanging in front of a butcher's shop, just so it's clear what they sell there 😄 Then the El Ghriba synagogue, the paintings on the houses in Erriadh, a fruit market and a potter at his wheel.
In the afternoon the ferry from Ajim to the mainland and lunch in Matmata, in a restaurant that's actually an old dwelling carved into the rock, half underground (red tablecloths, vaults in the earth). Star Wars was filmed right here, so quite an experience. Then by minibus heading south, the tarmac gradually disappearing under the sand, and a little before our destination that was it: the road was buried by the dunes and the bus couldn't go any further. They came out from the camp to pick us up with the truck and the Toyotas.
We got to Ksar Ghilane before dark. Air-conditioned tents, palm trees, a pool with a tower, and both yellow Toyotas already parked out front.
El Ghriba
A synagogue in the village of Erriadh on Djerba, one of the oldest in the world. The buildings you see today are largely from the 19th century. Every year pilgrims come here for the feast of Lag BaOmer.
Erriadh (Djerbahood)
In 2014 the Itinerrance gallery invited some 150 street artists from all over the world here and the village turned into an open-air gallery.
Matmata
A Berber town known for its underground dwellings: you dig a big pit and then hollow the rooms out of its walls. In 1976 the Sidi Idriss hotel played the home of the Lars family in Star Wars.
Monday 29 May 2017, Ksar Ghilane
The first day in the dunes. Under the tent with the #BIGSHOCKRACING sign we handed out the motorbikes, quads and helmets and started learning what you do in sand. Sand was flying over our heads in the corners, and everyone jumped the bumps as far as they dared.
In the afternoon, a ride in the truck: displays with temperatures and pressures, Sparco seats, harnesses over the shoulders and three blokes side by side in the cab. Martin Macík junior was driving and he drove with us like it was a race. An awesome experience.
In the service box there was also some electronics with the KPCS logo, that was our IoT project. A device we developed ourselves tracked data from the truck while driving: vibrations, temperatures, sound, deviations and so on. We wanted to learn how to analyse the data collected during a race.
Tuesday 30 May 2017, Ksar Ghilane – the Tisavar fortress
A ride across the dunes to the Roman fortress. In the photo everyone on the Toyota still looks fresh. We took pictures at the fortress and on the way back the real fun began: first I got stuck, then Mirek. Actually, we were getting stuck the whole time, so dig the wheels out, shovel, strap, push, and again. We definitely spent many times more time digging than driving 😄
Meanwhile the motorbikes were tearing up the dune and Martin Zemánek was shooting the sand flying up behind them. He's the photographer and cameraman who travelled with the team and still does. You'll spot him easily in the photos: blue shorts, no T-shirt, draped in cameras. At noon the pool, then the truck in the dunes, and to round off the day some more riding in the setting sun.
Tisavar
A Roman fortress on a hill above the Bel Recheb wadi, about 3 km from the Ksar Ghilane oasis, on the northern edge of the Grand Erg Oriental. It was built by the Romans under Emperor Commodus.
Ksar Ghilane
An oasis on the edge of the sand sea. Tourists are drawn here by the thermal springs and the tented camps under the palms.
Wednesday 31 May 2017, Ksar Ghilane – Medenine – Ksar Ghilane
In the morning, north with the Toyota. A viewpoint over a valley where the desert turns into rocks, a skeleton on the way, probably a camel's, lying in the sand, and refuelling in Medenine.
In the afternoon it was back to the dunes. The biggest show of the day: the racing truck airborne with a motorbike right next to it. Meanwhile the quads were jumping the bumps.
In the evening we came back past the petrol station near Ksar Ghilane, where they sell fuel with 4x4 and KTM painted straight onto the wall.
Thursday 1 June 2017, Ksar Ghilane – Tisavar
In the morning, servicing at the camp, wheels off the truck and mechanics underneath it. Then the Toyota in the sand again, this time really deep, tailgate wide open and digging with hands and a shovel.
In the afternoon the weather clouded over. We took a group photo at the fortress: the truck, the Toyotas, the motorbikes, the quads and everyone together, and then a few people rolled around in the sand under the ruined walls. On top of that the lads found some abandoned baby birds somewhere and were carrying them around on a plate.
To finish off, the pool and a toast up to our necks in the water.
Friday 2 June 2017, Ksar Ghilane – Zmela – Djerba
One last ride out on the quads, past the oasis to Campement Zmela. Camels, a donkey and dried mud cracked into hexagons.
Once the testing was over it was back to that nice resort by the sea to relax before the flight home, and in the evening a sunset from the plane window.
And then there's that blood on the floor in the photos. Mirek found a big snake in the tent and had no idea what it was. He went to fetch the locals and they hacked it to pieces right there. A funny story, though I guess it depends who you ask 😄
