MARTIN VAN DEN BRINK PROVES VALUE AS FAST ASSISTANT FOR MITCHEL
Mitchel van den Brink saw another good day's classification fall apart today due to technical problems. Father Martin proved the value of a good assistant. ''We have limited the damage and are now going full for third place.''
At the end of the tenth stage of the Dakar Rally, disappointment and satisfaction fought for precedence. Mitchel made it clear on the way to the bivouac in Alula that he was bitter about the setback.
On the other hand, the fast Harskamper was proud and pleased with the help he received from his father's team. ,,We really benefited a lot today from my father, Jan van der Vaet and Richard Mouw,'' Mitchel told us after the 371-kilometer test.
,,We started the special, just like yesterday by the way, just fine. After about 100 kilometers we heard clattering. We went to have a look and it turned out that the support of the gearbox had broken. We waited for Dad in the T-Way. He had a new support with him. After the support was replaced we could continue and the fast assistance drove right behind us.''
'Benefited a lot today'
The brigade of that rapid assistance was able to get back to work a little later. We were doing well, but then we had a flat tire. To make matters worse, the air-jack didn't work. With the help of Jan van der Vaet and Richard Mouw, Moi Torrallardona and mechanic Jarno van de Pol were able to replace the tire very quickly with the air-jack from the other Iveco. Yes, we really benefited a lot today from the fact that Dad and his men are still in the race.''
At the end of the special the damage for the team in the Iveco Powerstar was not too bad. It could have been much worse for the 22-year-old Eurol Rally Sport podium contender. ,,We did break down a bit, but are satisfied that we didn't waste any more time. Third place is now the goal for us. We hope to stay out of trouble tomorrow and Friday. If that works out we will be super satisfied.''
Utility of the fast assistant proven
Satisfied was also father Martin van den Brink after the finish of the test. ,,We delivered a nice piece of work today and in doing so showed why we were so keen to stay in the race. Jan and Richard did a fantastic job by helping Mitchel at the moments it was really needed. After changing the tire, Mitchel was able to move on immediately and we cleaned up the stuff. We did everything we could to reduce the backlog. And I think we succeeded. Yes, that gives a good feeling. Mitchel and his crew, partly because of our help, are still in the race for the podium. I think this proves again the usefulness of quick assistance.''
One stroke of luck is that Martin will start tomorrow near his son again. Even better. The team with number 606 will start fourteenth and Mitchel will leave seventeenth for the eleventh stage. In the stage to Yanbu with a special of 420 kilometers, a lot is again demanded of the drivers. On the rough and rocky terrain, the danger of punctures lurked all day.
Large lead over number four
In the overall ranking, Mitchel's formation now still has a lead of 1 hour and 20 minutes over number four, Janus van Kasteren. The Brabander in the Iveco had to concede more than 15 minutes to the stage winner today. Gert Huzink, like yesterday, was the fastest man on the track. Leader Martin Macik finished second. In the general classification, the Czech now has over two hours ahead of his compatriot Ales Loprais. Mitchel is 1 hour and 25 minutes behind the runner-up and knows that only major problems at one of the teams can still change the order on the podium.
Automatic translation of the Dutch version
Source: Eurol Rally Sport
Text: Berry Kamphorst
Photo: MMphoto
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