The eighth stage of the Eco Africa Race 2026 in the SSV category was clearly won by the Slovak crew of the Norwit Racing Team, the duo Martin Benko – Marek Sýkora on the Taurus T3 Maxi buggy.
The racing crew of Martin Benko and Marek Sýkora, who together with the Norwit Racing Team are the only ones representing Slovakia at this year’s Eco Africa Race, proved to all their opponents that they feel like fish in water on the really navigationally and drivingly demanding tracks. They clearly won the eighth stage, while in the SSV category standings they are in third place, with a loss of less than forty minutes to the leading crew, and in the overall ranking of the Car category they close the TOP10 of the standings.
“Today’s stage was definitely a good one for us, both in terms of navigation and riding. We started as the fifth crew, which was quite an advantage. There were no confusing tracks on the track and the track consisted of soft sand and smaller dunes. We were doing really well, especially in the first half, when we managed to fight our way through to first place. There were only about one hundred and sixty very fast kilometers left to the finish line from the refueling point. We knew that we had no chance of competing with the big cars, so we went our own way and really enjoyed it. Today’s track was really beautiful, the scenery, beautiful valleys filled with sand, dunes, many backward villages that looked like they were from the Middle Ages. Well, it was just great, not only the ride, but also a feast for the eyes. We are extremely satisfied, the car is fine, so we can continue tomorrow,” Martin Benko described the eighth stage.
On Wednesday (4.2.2026), the Eco Africa Race 2026 stage will take place from Aidzidine to Ouad Naga. Its total length will be four hundred and ninety kilometers, including a four hundred and twenty-six kilometer timed section. The surface of the course should be similar to today, i.e. sand and sand dunes.