Slovak motorbike racers Štefan Svitko and Ivan Jakeš, started the 2017 Dakar Rally among the favourites but when the race finished last Saturday, they had very little reason to celebrate. Jakeš showed some grit and determination when he stayed in the race after being struck by lightning in the third stage. However, he had to leave the peloton after a fall from his bike in the fifth stage left him with a broken wrist and several other minor injuries.
Svitko, who finished second overall last year, recorded the worst position in his career at this year's edition of the 2017 Dakar Rally. He finished in 25th place after being penalized twice in the race. Without the four-and-a-half-hour handicap, the Slovak would have been seventh. Štefan Svitko also faced technical problems when his team's van broke down. Luckily Ivan Jakeš, who was no longer in the competition at that point, lent him his car and enabled Svitko to continue. However, the borrowed van got broken into later, with thieves taking €7,000, a watch, several notebooks, spare parts for the bikes and even Svitko's clothes. "We are in contact with the insurance company. I had to borrow a boy's shorts for the closing ceremony," Svitko told the Šport daily.
