They are not related, but they do share the same hobby: Erik van Loon from Eersel and Ronald van Loon from Son en Breugel will both participate in a car in the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia from December 31. For the experienced Erik it is his thirteenth time and he wants a podium place. For Ronald, completing the toughest rally in the world is a victory in itself.
Erik van Loon from Eersel is a veteran of the Dakar Rally and, together with his navigator Sébastien Delaunay, is doing everything he can to achieve a good ranking. He had to skip last edition due to a corona infection, but the blue butcher is now aiming for a place in the top 10.
“The podium places have been awarded to the Audis”, says Erik van Loon. “And just behind that the competition is cutthroat. So everything will have to go well.”
“A lot of sand and high dunes don’t bother me, because I have to have a long breath.”
The Dakar Rally 2023 will mainly be heavier, it is expected. This applies in particular to the second week in which the so-called is on the programme. The name says it all, because there is really nothing that reminds you of the inhabited world.
Last year, the marathon stage had to be shortened because half of the drivers were already stuck on the first day. It’s sand, sand and more sand. “A lot of sand and high dunes don’t matter to me,” says Van Loon. “I have to take a long breath and it’s mainly mechanical problems that I’m afraid of. If we don’t have too much bad luck, it will be fine.”
Compared to Erik van Loon, 38-year-old Ronald van Loon from Son en Breugel is still a blank page in the Dakar Rally. He will participate in the toughest rally in the world for the first time in January.
“On my first rally I flipped over three times on the first dune.”
“As a little boy I already watched the Dakar Rally with the whole family,” says Ronald van Loon. “I have already developed a love for the sand there. Because motorcycling turned out to be too dangerous in the end and too risky with my own business, I switched to a car. That took some getting used to, because at my first rally I went to the first best dune three times over the head where the car also caught fire.”
The driver from Son en Breugel is now an experienced rally driver. Nevertheless, in January he went to Saudi Arabia to take a look at the Dakar Rally 2022. “That was a kind of sniffing internship,” says Van Loon. “For example, I have learned that it can also be very cold in the desert. But actually it differs little from other rallies. Well, the Dakar Rally lasts considerably longer.”
Normally Ronald van Loon often drives top five in competitions, but at the Dakar Rally he will proceed with caution. “There is a lot of time, effort and money involved in my participation, so finishing is the most important thing. I will therefore not look at the stand there. Because I know myself, then I will go hunting again,” Ronald van Loon concludes with a laugh.