The two-day test of drivers and cars, called Chrono48, was a tough challenge for Aliyyah Koloc. However, exceptional driving made sure that the 20-year-old finished the gruelling 48-hour-stage as the fastest woman in the Ultimate category in 27th place, despite a sandstorm in the dunes.

Aliyyah Koloc, driving for Buggyra ZM Racing, tackled the difficulties of Chrono48 with determination. “It was a very challenging two-day stage. Yesterday, we covered 600 kilometers. We had an issue with the car and stopped for half an hour but managed to reach the makeshift camp, where we worked on the car until late into the night. Today, it was very dusty thoughout the whole stage. There’s still a lot of work to be done on the car, but we’re at the finish line, and that’s the most important thing,” Aliyyah said, currently 26th in the Ultimate category standings.

The desert’s biggest challenge was the demanding navigation. “The organizers prepared a lot of big dunes for us. On some, we had to take a second run or even turn around and go another way. We got stuck twice today, but overall, I enjoyed the fast sections. It was definitely a very varied stage,” Aliyyah added.

Her co-driver, experienced Frenchman Sébastien Delaunay, confirmed the difficulty of the terrain and navigation: “We encountered about 300 kilometers of dunes, half of which were on fresh, very soft sand. At midday, a sandstorm hit, and we could hardly see anything. The stage started quite fast, but soon we saw one broken-down car after another, kilometer after kilometer. They were pushing too hard in the extreme conditions.”

The Dakar continues tomorrow, January 7 with Stage 3, which the organizers have shortened by a third due to poor weather conditions. The timed section will now be 327 kilometers long instead of the initial 496 kilometers.