After a strong start in stage seven, the Morocco Desert Challenge came to an abrupt end for Erik van Loon and Wouter Rosegaar. A broken rear diff caused their Can-Am Maverick R to stall in the dunes. The car was eventually returned to the bivouac too late to be repaired, partly due to poor communication and lack of support from the organization.
“We had bad luck, that's part of it,” says Erik. “But how it was handled afterwards was downright bad. The Sweeper was supposed to take the car and Wouter to the bivouac, but dropped them off halfway. Then suddenly it was our responsibility, while the team had just returned to the bivouac. That kind of thing just shouldn't happen. The organization really made a big mistake here.”
Still, Erik also looks back on the week with pride: “We rode and navigated well, were better every day and we were fast. The podium was realistic. Too bad it has to end this way, but it gives confidence.”
One positive is that the four other Maverick R's on the team, on which Erik has helped plenty in development, are so far running without problems and with drivers very happy with the car.
The next rally for Erik is the ELE Rally on May 24 and 25, where he and Anja will compete.
Automatic translation from the Dutch version
Source: Van Loon Racing
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