He really should have been standing here on two wheels. As always. But Dick van Culenborg (60) from Hank gets into a buggy for his first Dakar Rally. Not because he really wants to, but because motorcycling is no longer the same for him since his good friend Edwin Straver died in Saudi Arabia in 2020 during the toughest rally in the world.
The name Edwin Straver is soon mentioned when Dick starts talking. His friend and motorcycle brother. In 2020, 48-year-old Edwin died after a serious crash during the Dakar Rally. He broke his upper cervical vertebra and suffered severe brain damage. Straver was repatriated to the Netherlands, but friends and family had to say goodbye to him there. “One stone can be enough,” says Dick van Culenborg. “You are so vulnerable on a motorcycle.”
“You think such a tragedy won’t affect you until it does.”
Edwin was driving 50 kilometers per hour through the desert in the penultimate stage when he fell and ended up unfortunately. At that moment his buddy Dick was waiting for him at the finish.
“When the doctor called from the plane you immediately knew: this is not good,” he says. “At his funeral there were at least 1,000 people present and I think as many as 200 motorcycles. Edwin was a beloved person and very well-known. It made a deep impression on me and the impact was enormous. Not only for me, but for the entire motorsport world.”
Motorsport brings beautiful and strong friendships, but it can also be tough and ruthless. “One pebble can be enough,” says Dick. “That realization hit me hard. At a certain point you start thinking, especially as you get older. I never took part in a competition again after Edwin’s death.”
Edwin’s motorcycle is still on Dick’s premises as a tribute. Untouched, but ready to drive. “Technically it is still perfect,” says Dick. “But he remains standing. That is our tribute.”
The adrenaline rush and love for high speeds remained and Van Culenborg opted for the buggy. “You have two more wheels, a large suspension, you sit in one cage; in terms of safety it is clearly an improvement. If you make a mistake and you roll over, nine times out of ten it will not bother you. You are much more vulnerable on a motorcycle and I am now taking care of that.”
“If fear would hinder me, I wouldn’t have participated.”
This Dakar Rally, through Paul Spierings, he got the opportunity to become the fast assistant for team owner Alexandre Pesci in a buggy within Team Rebellion & Spierings. An opportunity he didn’t want to miss, even though it felt a bit awkward in the days before the start. “I can drive, but I normally do that in a Can-Am, a Canadian brand. Here in Saudi Arabia I was recently in a Taurus for the first time. So it took some time to figure out how everything worked,” he says, laughing.
During his preparation for the rally of rallies, he often spent time on his mountain bike, in the weight room and behind the PlayStation. “There’s the Dakar game, where you can race in the desert. Together with navigator Mark Klinkhamer we practiced for quite a few hours. Now that we’re actually in the desert, it looks a lot like that.”
There will be moments in the coming weeks when his thoughts turn to Straver. Like on the day of rest in Riyadh, the city where his friend was in the hospital. But during the many hours behind the wheel, his entire focus is on racing. “I’m driving flat out. If fear would hinder me, I wouldn’t have participated.”
Look at Da Karretje!
Omroep Brabant will also closely follow the Brabant participants during the upcoming Dakar Rally. From January 3 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.
