The Dakar Rally has been a Brabant party for years. This year, several fellow provinces are also active in the rally of rallies. From well-known and experienced drivers to a 60-year-old rookie, Dick van Culenborg from Hank. “Riding in a buggy is the fun factor at its best,” he says.
In Saudi Arabia, Janus van Kasteren from Veldhoven returns to the Dakar Rally after a year’s absence. In the coming edition he will no longer participate in a truck, but will make his debut in a car. “I like the switch. It’s a really cool car to drive,” says Van Kasteren, who started a team with friend Michiel Becx from Vessem and Roger Grouwels. “There is a bit more experience in the car than in the truck. It goes faster and it is heavier.”
“In case of inattention, things are more likely to go wrong in a car than in a truck.”
Van Kasteren could take more risks in a truck. “For example, if there was a hole in the road, I just drove over it. In the car it is different, then you have a problem. Moreover, in a truck you have a better overview, now you know less well what is coming. The interaction with the navigator in the car (Marcel Snijders from Neerkant, ed.) is much more important. But no matter how experienced you are, things can go wrong if you are inattentive.”
Van Kasteren is not thinking about the final victory, such as in 2023 with the trucks, or a podium place. Completing the Dakar Rally is goal number one. “The level of the cars is very high. Getting to the finish is already a big challenge, which is more difficult than in a truck.”
At the trucks we see Egbert Wingens from Schaijk, with his partner Marije and mechanic Marijn Beekmans next to him. His main goal is to stay close to teammate Paul Spierings who is racing for the rankings in a buggy. “We ride as a service for Paul, so I have to try to stay as close to him as possible. It would be best if we don’t see him at all. But of course I also try to ride a good classification myself.”
Wingens is impressed by the approach of Spierings, who travels to Saudi Arabia with a huge team. “He takes it seriously, and I think that’s important. He doesn’t want to leave anything to chance.”
The driver from Schaijk is curious about the route, which he says is always a surprise. “I even saw days of 800 or 900 kilometers in the schedule. You never know exactly what you will encounter. I hope that the organization does not, like in Argentina, opt for many bad bouncing paths and few challenges with sand. Then I didn’t feel like it anymore. I want to enjoy being behind the wheel.”
“I am going to contribute as a kind of ANWB.”
Dick van Culenborg from Hank makes his debut in the Dakar Rally at the age of 60. He has been there before as a spectator and sponsor, but never as a participant. The former motorcyclist gets into the buggy together with peer Mark Klinkhamer. “We have been preparing for quite a long time and I can feel the tension rising. But most of all I am looking forward to it,” he says.
In Saudi Arabia he will be given the role as ‘quick assistant’ for Swiss team owner Alexandre Pesci within Team Rebellion & Spierings. “The team’s goal is to get everything to the finish and I was asked to contribute to this as a kind of ANWB. For me it was now or never.”
All Brabant drivers at a glance:
Trucks:
Brabant drivers in the Dakar Rally 2026:
Marnix Leeuw from Eindhoven and Egbert Wingens from Schaijk
Cars:
Michiel Becx from Vessem and Janus van Kasteren from Veldhoven.
Buggies:
Dick van Culenborg from Hank, Kees Koolen from Bergeijk and Paul Spierings from Sint-Michielsgestel.
Look at Da Karretje!
Omroep Brabant will also closely follow the Brabant participants during the upcoming Dakar Rally. From January 4 to 18 there is Da Karretje every day with the experiences of reporters Nynke Cuperus, Ronald Sträter and Leon Voskamp on YouTube, website and TV.