Koen Wauters and Tom De Leeuw (Toyota Hilux) will start the 526 km long stage towards Smara on Tuesday morning at 09:00 local time. “What our team has achieved last night is excellent, unprecedented and fantastic”, says Koen Wauters from the bivouac in Boujdour.
On Monday morning, after 11 km, the third stage of Koen Wauters and Tom De Leeuw came to an end with a loud bang. After a big dive, their Toyota landed on its nose. An enormous impact for man and machine. An initial inspection round showed that the steering gear was broken and there was nothing else to do but wait for the broom wagon. Once arrived at the bivouac, the mechanics checked the car, unloaded the toolboxes and started an improbable assignment that was successfully completed on Tuesday morning around 04:00.
Koen Wauters was woken up with the good news that he could ride on Tuesday. “And what a good morning it is. It is unseen what these guys have achieved. Unbelievable. Feryn Dakar Sport is not only a group of friends but also a fantastic team who, with all their experience and tireless dedication, got to work and said to themselves: not with us, okay? We are going to do this. Yesterday afternoon it seemed impossible to me but they rolled up their sleeves and gave it their all. It is very moving to see this.”
After a night's sleep, Koen Wauters is ready to start the longest stage of this Morocco Desert Challenge. “I feel like a train ran over me last night. But it will all be fine. Our classification is ruined. But I am so happy that I can ride again. We are now trying to give the best of ourselves in every stage and then we will see where we end up. But Pascal Feryn is still there. He is 15th overall and 4th in his class. Let him do what he wants.”
Source: Feryn Dakar Sport
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