Martin Prokop reached another milestone in his rallying career. It was not winning an event or a title but securing a finish at the Safari Rally Kenya.
The Czech had a spell of bad luck on his two attempts at the African round of the World Rally Championship. In 2021, the crew crashed out of the event while the following year, engine failure ended their contention.
Fate was so near this year when a misfire on Prokop’s Ford Fiesta during Friday’s leg of the Safari caused a bit of frustration for the crew.
Prokop and co-driver Zdeněk Jůrka however managed to hang on and cross the Safari Rally Kenya finish line in tenth place overall.
Prokop could not hide the excitement.
“It was absolutely amazing. I know it sounds a bit strange to people but this finish was quite special,” said Prokop.
“In 2021, we had a bad accident where my co-driver broke his back. Last year, we had a broken engine on the same stage as in 2021. But now we finally made it. Super happy,” he added.
The finish landed Prokop a second position in the WRC2 category. That was also his best career finish in the category.
“At the beginning, I did not care about the times at all. I was driving very carefully so as not to risk anything. It was quite funny at the finish. The WRC TV guys told me that I won the prize for the car with the least damage over the weekend.
Martin Prokop is the 2009 Junior World Rally champion. The 40-year-old has also participated in the Dakar Rally since 2016.
Another attempt in 2024 already awaits.
“It is about the budget we will have for 2024, that’s the crucial point. So let’s see,” he said.