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Dakar 2024: Difficult day for Anja van Loon who loses time due to buggy
It became clear in advance that the 48-hour stage could perhaps be a sharper focus of this Dakar Rally. There are high dunes in the Empty Quarter and Anja van Loon, Floor Maten and Marije van Ettekoven were unable to stay out of trouble, there was little they could do about it. They have reached the first rest camp and tomorrow they will continue towards the finish.
Early in the rally, the ladies came to Huzink's truck, which was lying on its side in the dunes. “We tried to help, but he was really stuck. But that immediately set the tone for the day, there are still so many cars and trucks stuck. It was really tough. We got into trouble ourselves because a buggy suddenly stopped. It was close to having a serious accident, so I chose to avoid the buggy.”
As a result, the Iveco Powerstar fell on its side. “That was actually the only choice I had: hit the buggy or jerk the steering wheel. It took a while before we got back on the wheels, but luckily Michiel Becx was there to help us up. It was so tough today, the sand was so loose and really high dunes. We had to drive the last part in the dark and that was especially difficult.”
The ladies have now arrived at the first bivouac. “There are only 16 trucks here, the rest are still on their way or are stationary. It's really tough and tomorrow we still have 359 kilometers to go. We're just going to do our best and try to stay out of trouble.”
Automatic translation of the Dutch version
Source: Van Loon Racing's official press release
Helder