The excellent first day of the Dakar Rally’s 48-hour stage on Sunday was followed by an equally excellent day on Monday for Team de Rooy FPT. Aleš Loprais and Vaidotas Žala finished the stage in second and third place among the trucks, respectively, in the same position they had arrived at the makeshift bivouac in the desert the day before. Anja van Loon even improved her performance. She was 11th on Sunday but crossed the finish line in Bisha one day later in eighth place.
“Overall, Team de Rooy FPT did a good job during the 48-hour stage”, said team manager Henk van Leuven from the bivouac. “The trucks held up perfectly. As a team, we are very optimistic.”
Just a detail
For all three drivers, the Iveco Powerstar proved to be a potent, solid, and reliable vehicle in the Saudi desert. The fact that Loprais of Instatrade Team de Rooy FPT suffered a puncture was just a detail, as was the fact that the Czech and his crew lost some time because they missed a waypoint. The difference to the stage winner and defending champion Martin Macík was only 9:43 minutes.
Van Leuven: “Aleš is getting to know the truck better and better, so his confidence is growing, and he can gradually increase the pace. That gives us perspective. The same goes for Žala, who is doing the rally in a truck for the first time this year. He is learning the difference between a rally car and a rally truck. He said before that he would be satisfied with a place in the top five. So, for him to finish third now is beyond expectations.” The Lithuanian from Skuba Team de Rooy FPT, 18:52 minutes behind Macík, also limited the damage.
Tribute
Van Loon undoubtedly shared the upbeat mood in the Team de Rooy camp. The Fried van de Laar Racing Team de Rooy FPT driver showed with her eighth place that she and her brothers, Jan and Ben van de Laar, are also in good shape. Van Leuven: “Anja, Ben and Jan are giving their all. This Dakar is a tribute to their late father, Fried. They are doing it in a very nice way.”
A rain shortened third stage awaits Team de Rooy FPT on Tuesday. The stage will run from Bisha to Al Henakiyah over 466 kilometers, including a 327-kilometer special.
Source: Team de Rooy FPT
Photo: fotopbroficial
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