The first stage consisted of basically only stones, varying in shape and size. Through smart driving and good teamwork, Anja van Loon, Floor Maten and Marije van Ettekoven manage to stay out of trouble and set a good time. The stage was shortened to 280 kilometers due to an hour's delay.
“The first 25 kilometers were a beautiful winding track with a lot of variety,” says Anja. “After that it was just stones all day. In all shapes and sizes, but that was the only variety there was. There was a waypoint hidden and many trucks drove the wrong way there. We actually did that too, but by looking smart and good teamwork we quickly found the right track and thus saved quite a bit of time.”
Furthermore, there were no problems on board the Iveco Powerstar. “The truck felt good, I had everything under control and we didn't have a single whoops moment. We didn't have a flat tire and that saved a lot of time today. So it was a great first day for us. Marije and Floor also went well in the truck, on to tomorrow!”
The second stage goes from Al Henakiyah to Al Duwadimi. It will be a long day with 654 kilometers, of which 462 kilometers at speed, and different surfaces. Dunes, sand, tracks and stones, everything passes by.
Automatic translation of the Dutch version
Source: Van Loon Racing
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