Five more stages and then the Dakar Rally is over. But there is plenty to look forward to in those last five days. There is still a chance that a Brabander will walk away with a victory. We have listed the most important things for you.
Paul Spierings knew that he had made great strides with his team. But the fact that he can actually compete for the overall victory in the buggies must also be a surprise to him. The driver from Sint-Michielsgestel is neatly in third place with a view of the highest step of the podium.
“Let’s get through a few more days first and then we’ll look further,” he remained sober this weekend. But his navigator Jan Pieter van der Stelt previously admitted that they really want to compete for the overall victory. The Brabanders are now 42 minutes and 31 seconds behind classification leader Nicolas Cavigliasso from Argentina. That is a small difference that can disappear like snow in the sun in the Dakar Rally.
Dear Dutchman
Ronald van Loon took his shot at the cars on Saturday. Due to mechanical failure of the brothers Tim and Tom Coronel, the driver from Son en Breugel, together with his navigator Erik Lemmen, is suddenly the best Dutchman in the rankings. Something he had also set as a goal in advance. He seems to have a safe lead, but even there one camel bump can throw a spanner in the works.
In the trucks, no Brabander will be the best Dutchman and that takes some getting used to after successful years of Janus van Kasteren. This year was all about finishing for most Brabant truck drivers. Maurik van den Heuvel will do this outside of competition after he dropped out earlier this week due to mechanical failure. William de Groot must uphold his and his brother’s honor after Ben de Groot dropped out in the first week. “I’m going to finish this rally for my brother,” he said earlier.
Also read: Unlucky Van den Heuvel will help others in the Dakar Rally
Youngest participant
Back to the buggies. Because while Paul Spierings can be found far in the front, there are plenty of Brabant drivers neatly in the middle of the pack and they seem to be going to finish the toughest rally in the world. That would be very special for Marnix Leeuw. He is the youngest participant in the Dakar Rally this year. As Sander Derikx’s navigator, he is preparing to participate in the truck next year.
Gert-Jan van der Valk is now driving to a place in the top 20 of the rankings without too many major problems. With the cars, navigator Arjan van Tiel seems to have already experienced his toughest moment. He and his Belgian companion were stuck in the desert until late this week, but they still managed to finish very well.
This year, Omroep Brabant is also closely following the Dakar Rally. Watch a new episode of Bivak Brabant Dakar every evening on YouTube and in the morning on TV and don’t miss any of the adventures of the Brabant participants in the desert.