Koen Wauters and Tom De Leeuw (Toyota Hilux), Pascal Feryn and Kurt Keysers (Toyota Hilux), and Cédric Feryn and Bjorn Burgelman (Toyota Land Cruiser) will take part from Sunday, 25 January, in the 17th edition of the Africa Eco Race. In the car category, Koen Wauters and Pascal Feryn are aiming for a top-five finish.
For Feryn Dakar Sport, this is their second participation in this desert rally. Their first entry in 2024 was particularly successful. In the open category combining cars, SSVs and trucks, Pascal Feryn finished second overall and first among the cars. Tom De Leeuw, Cédric Feryn and Bjorn Burgelman finished eighth overall and third among the trucks. Koen Wauters won a stage, but returned earlier than the end of the event for professional reasons, as planned.
Koen Wauters flies to Morocco on Friday. With the first series of The Voice recordings behind him, he can now focus fully on motorsport. “The desire is big—very big. We’ve actually been building up to this event for a while. Last November there was the Fenix Rally, and two weeks ago we organised a test session to check everything one last time. I’m very grateful to our team of professional volunteers who have worked incredibly hard and well over the past weeks and months. I’m starting with the car I drove in the Morocco Desert Challenge. After that event it was fully stripped down, everything was thoroughly checked, and parts were replaced where needed before rebuilding it. During the test day a few small issues came up, but those have now been solved. Meanwhile, all the vehicles are on their way to Morocco via France,” says Koen Wauters.
Running a preparation race and holding an extra test session wasn’t done by chance. “You can’t underestimate the value of mileage,” says Koen Wauters. “It’s extremely important. I think any driver in any motorsport discipline will say the same. If you can train a lot and race a lot, you get into that cockpit and you feel at home immediately. You have to think much less and you can focus much more on what really matters. In the past, I always needed one or two days—sometimes three—to get up to speed. I don’t think that will be the case now. I can’t say it will be exactly how I hope from the very first run, but it will be better. And it will need to be, because the competition is strong.”
Strong competition or not, Koen Wauters is heading to Africa with clear ambitions—on a continent that is close to his heart. “There are many comparable cars taking part, and that’s great, because those are the ones I really want to measure myself against. But there are also a few cars that, on paper, we can’t really fight with. There’s a T1+, and there are other vehicles with significantly more horsepower. I don’t know to what extent we can battle them, but as far as I’m concerned, anything is possible. Experience shows that if you can stay mistake-free and keep moving, a lot can happen. We’re talking about a race of more than 6,000 kilometres. That’s a lot of distance where many things can go wrong.”
In 2024, Pascal Feryn won the overall car classification and Koen Wauters won a stage. “I think this time, given the level of competition, that will be a lot harder. And honestly, I prefer it that way. Still, I won’t rule out that, if you have a good day, it can happen. I don’t wish misfortune on anyone, but you have to stay trouble-free. If you don’t have bad luck, you don’t get stuck in the sand, and you don’t puncture, then in the best-case scenario you might win a stage. But to say we’re going to win the rally—I certainly wouldn’t go that far. That seems difficult. But top five should be possible. Let that be the ambition,” concludes Koen Wauters.
“I’m not going to say I’ll do the same as back then, but I’ll certainly do my best,” adds Pascal Feryn. “I know I have a good car and that my fitness is good. The teamwork with Kurt is going well. With a bit of luck we’ll be able to put in a few strong stages. But everything depends on how the competition performs. I also know that if you have setbacks early on, it’s not easy to make up for them. I hope I can get through that first week at a good pace. On the rest day we’ll see where we stand and what comes next. Top five is possible, but it may also not be. That’s hard to predict. Compared to the past, I now feel much more comfortable in the dunes with this car. In 2024 that’s where we made the difference. But those dunes only come in the second week.”
Beyond the sporting goals, enjoyment and team spirit are also key. “On Friday we leave for Morocco. I’m really looking forward to living together with our fantastic team in the desert for two weeks. We’re not the youngest anymore—we’re heading towards 60. We don’t want to sleep in tents anymore, but in a motorhome. A good night’s sleep matters a lot. If you’re tired, you make mistakes. In 2024, in the Africa Eco Race, I had one puncture. In the Morocco Desert Challenge I punctured much more often because I was tired. This week is about rest, and then from Sunday we go all in,” says Pascal Feryn.
Cédric Feryn and Bjorn Burgelman will take part for the first time in the Toyota Land Cruiser. “The truck we used to race is actually a Historic. And the Land Cruiser was here. Within the team, the know-how around cars is also greater than around trucks. The choice was quickly made. It’s basically the car that was once rejected for the Dakar Classic. The Land Cruiser has been adapted to the current regulations and is ready for action. We’re running our own race, but we’re also fast assistance on the track in case Koen and my dad run into trouble. We carry a spare wheel and a limited number of parts that can help them. But hopefully it won’t be needed. Driving a car does take some adjustment. For starters, you sit lower, so you have less overview. On the other hand, you do have more comfort. In the truck there were three of us. It’s a pity Alexander can’t be there. The three of us always had a great time in the truck. But Bjorn is here, and we work well together. Our ambition is to enjoy it and try to finish the race,” says Cédric Feryn.
Source: Feryn Dakar Sport
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