Tomorrow the Dakar Rally starts in Bisha, Saudi Arabia. The past few days have been all about judging and testing. For Erik van Loon and Hein Verschuuren that was in the Audi Quattro, Anja van Loon, Jan and Ben van de Laar did so with the Iveco Powerstar. The vehicles felt good and both teams are ready for the start.
“We are totally ready,” Anja tells us. “Our first test is over, it was a nice test course of about 30 kilometers where we could get used well. So for me that was also the first time I wasn't behind the wheel, and I was very pleased with that. We took turns driving and then you also see that we have three totally different driving styles, but at the same time you feel the confidence in each other. These are going to be three great weeks!”
The Iveco Powerstar also felt familiar to Jan. “It immediately felt familiar, the Iveco was fine-tuned and suits all our driving styles. Tomorrow the prologue will take place, which will determine the starting order. We are confident about going on this adventure together in the coming weeks.”
Last night were the technical and administrative inspections of the Iveco. “The truck is completely approved,” Ben said. “The mechanics are now putting the final touches on it. The setup and settings were good, and it was also nice to be behind the wheel again. The shakedown allowed us to gain confidence in the car. So we go into the race full of confidence.”
The same goes for Erik and Hein. “Our test went top notch, the car is really great. We are here with four Quattros and they are the only four H4 cars, so we already know that we have to open every day. But we're going for it!”
The Dakar Rally starts on Friday with a prologue, which no longer counts for the standings and is used to determine the starting order of the first stage. For the Dakar participants, it is 29 kilometers long; the Classic's prologue is slightly longer at 59 kilometers. It is a diverse test over wide sand and gravel roads with some technical sections.
Source: Van Loon Racing
Automatic translation of the Dutch version
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