KAREL LOPRAIS AND THE TATRA TEAM CHOOSE R-M FOR THE DAKAR RALLY AND WIN THE ENTHUSIAST’S CHOICE AS THE BEST LOOKING TRUCK!		02/17/2009

For the world’s toughest rally you need paint to match.

The best for the best – this straightforward statement says all of the successful, partnership of Czech Tatra trucks and the R-M distributor Autolaky Mikos Aš, s.r.o., throughout their prosperous ten year history of rally Dakar participation. Now, motoring enthusiasts and fans of the Dakar rally have honored Tatra with the price for the best looking truck team on the 2009 Dakar Rally.

Czech rally driver Karel Loprais, who began his incredible career as a test driver for Tatra back in 1986, and his Tatra team worked together with Autolaky Mikos to specify the ultimate commercial R-M paint system for their supersized rides.

R-M GRAPHITE HD has been used for the truck body, the R-M CHASSIMIX system for the chassis and the R-M’s sensational EXTREME COLORS have added on the dazzling highlights, making Loprais’ trucks stand out for their staggering looks.

Facing the rigours of the world’s toughest rally, the finish on Karel’s specially prepared truck has passed through extremes of temperature, sun light and flying stones for more than 9.500 kilometers over rock-strewn mountain roads and sandy soils.

For the first time in the event’s 30 year history, the Dakar rally was held in South America and saw Karel’s nephew Aleš Loprais in the Tatra together with nearly 600 other competitors in cars, trucks, quads and motorcycles, having to cover over 14 separate stages from start to finsih.

In his outstanding career, Karel Loprais has been nominated the Czech Automobile competitor of the century, he has won the Czech Motor Club’s Golden Steering Wheel and is a four time winner of the prestige national award presented by Czech Automobile Motoring Writers. Oh, and by the way, Karel also happens to have won the Paris Dakar Rally truck category no less than six times!