DeRooy Iveco – Happy with test, result & team work in Morocco
Although Gerard de Rooy had hoped for a better result for himself, the captain of Team Petronas Iveco De Rooy was a satisfied man at the finish of the OiLibya Rally. “It’s a pity we didn’t win, but four trucks in the top 5 certainly isn’t bad. I think we had a good rally, but we were a bit unfortunate with the tyres. It’s good to know what works and what doesn’t.”
De Rooy tried his best to help team mate Ales Loprais gain ground on Dutchman Martin van den Brink, who started the final stage with a lead of 4 minutes. “The interest of the team comes first and Ales had a chance to win, so I moved over to let him pass. The combined action in the team is good and it shows in the results.”
Loprais won the stage but only with one second advantage to Van den Brink. In the final standings the Czech came second, Federico Villagra third, De Rooy fourth and Ton van Genugten fifth.
Van Genugten almost had the stage win at his fingertips, recording the fastest time at CP2. But here too the interest of the team beat the individual result. “We stopped to help Villagra change a tyre. We stayed with him till the finish.”
With less than three months to go till the Dakar, the team still has quite some work to do. “But the prospects are just fine,” Gerard de Rooy assured. “My truck has to be rebuild but the other trucks are ready. With the knowledge we gained this week we can profit even more.”
Result #5
1. Loprais 03.34.46
2. Van den Brink + 00.01
3. Van Genugten + 05.09
4. De Baar + 05.11
5. De Rooy + 06.77
6. Villagra + 15.82
Final standings
1. Van den Brink 16.51.42
2. Loprais + 04.04
3. Villagra + 22.06
4. De Rooy + 46.47
5. Van Genugten + 54.11
