BISHA, Saudi Arabia — A dream scenario is unfolding for Team De Rooy FPT at the Dakar Rally. Following a spectacular Stage 10, the Dutch squad's trucks now sit first and second in the overall standings. Vaidotas Zala leads the classification after an off day for Mitchel van den Brink. Meanwhile, Ales Loprais also claimed victory in the second half of Marathon Stage 2, with his Lithuanian teammate right on his heels.
Three stages remain and anything can still happen, but Team De Rooy is mounting an impressive charge. Stage 10 marked the team's fourth one-two finish of the rally — and second in a row.
Loprais proved with back-to-back stage wins that you never give up at the Dakar. After tangling with fellow Czech and defending champion Martin Macik on Monday, he fought his way back into contention.
Grateful
"We're grateful, we're happy. We won both marathon stages, which worked out really well for us," he said at the bivouac in Bisha. "We pushed as hard as we could and tried to achieve a great result, and we did."
"I had excellent navigation — David [Kripal] did an amazing job, as did Jiri [Stross]. We worked like dogs. We're dead tired, but it was great. We'll see what the next few days bring. We still believe in miracles. Three days to go, so keep your fingers crossed."
Ironically, this meant Loprais first had to get past his own teammate. Zala finished second on Wednesday but stayed glued to the Czech, and when the dust literally settled, he found himself atop the overall classification with an 18:55 advantage.
"It was pretty tough. Especially the second day with those small, soft, gnarly dunes and an average speed of probably 40 kilometers per hour or so," Zala said. "I tried to protect the truck — the leaf springs, the dampers — because I could feel everything getting really hot. But I also saw Ales Loprais running ahead of us, so I made sure we kept a safe distance."
Counting the days
He ultimately finished 1:37 behind his teammate. With three stages remaining, Zala sits in prime position. "I'm counting down the days to the finish. It's been quite a ride so far. We're taking it day by day."
"The first part of the marathon was enjoyable. We didn't arrive completely exhausted at the remote bivouac, so I thought: that wasn't too bad. But the second day was a punch in the face — a really tough second half. So you never know what's coming. The next two days are still pretty demanding. The final day is usually a bit easier, but we've still got a job to do."
That job resumes Thursday with Stage 11 from Bisha to Al Henakiyah, covering 882 kilometers with a 346-kilometer special stage
Source: Team De Rooy FPT
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