ADDC 2023: Erik and Anja van Loon to Abu Dhabi with South Racing
This Sunday starts the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the second round of the world championship. For Anja van Loon it will be the reunion with South Racing's Can-Am, but she will also make her first kilometers with her new navigator Floor Maten. Erik van Loon on the other hand starts with his familiar navigator, Sébastien Delaunay, and also drives a Can-Am of German South Racing. So for both of them a change from the Dakar Rally.
"I am very much looking forward to the first official kilometers with Floor," says Anja. "It is now known that I will drive the Dakar in a truck with an all-female crew. Floor will be navigating, so it's important to do a lot of miles together and get to know each other. We have already done some things together after the Dakar, such as going ice driving in Finland. Driving in competition is very different, so I am looking forward to it. The mechanic in the truck will be Suzanne Peek and we will definitely ride with her before the Dakar. You're just not allowed to drive a truck everywhere, so it's nice that we can still work on Dakar preparation here with an SSV."
Erik is also looking forward to the rally in Abu Dhabi with the Can-Am. "Last year I drove this baby carriage quite a bit and it's a really fun car. Sébastien and I won the Baja of Italy, but the competition has done more miles in this category than I have since. The full top is at the start here, so I'm going to measure myself against the best in the T3 class. I'm really looking forward to it and I'm hoping for a fun rally together with Séb."
The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge starts on Saturday, February 25, with the inspections and tests. On Sunday, the official start ceremony will take place followed by the prologue. On Monday, the first stage will be run. The rally will last until Friday, March 3. The rally can be followed on www.abudhabidesertchallenge.com.
Automatic translation from the Duch Version
Source Van Loon Racing
