De Rooy 2nd to start SS1Dakar16 after prologue was cancelled
Gerard de Rooy is due to start the first stage of the Dakar in second, after the prologue was cancelled because of a serious accident on the track. De Rooy and the other trucks of Petronas Team De Rooy Iveco were summoned to continue by road to Rosario, from where the first stage will start tomorrow.
The trucks had just covered a long liaison from the podium ceremony in Buenos Aires to the start of the 11 kms long prologue. “I was lining up behind the cars who were waiting to start, when we were told the prologue was cancelled due to an accident. All of us were summoned to turn around and go directly to Rosario. Turning on a small road wasn’t that easy, especially not when everybody is trying to so in the same time.”
De Rooy wasn’t really disappointed with the cancellation, except for the reason being so sad. “I wasn’t looking forward to an 11 kms sprint. For us it is better to start the first special in the order of the starting numbers.”
Assuming that the first stage, from Rosario to Cordoba with a 258 kms special, will take place as scheduled, De Rooy (#501) will start as second truck at approximately 13.35 local time (17.35 CET), followed by Ales Loprais (#503) in fourth, Federico Villagra (#514) in fourteenth, Ton van Genugten (#516) in sixteenth and Pep Vila (#518) in eighteenth.
Petronas Team De Rooy Iveco has to wait for another day
After the prologue was cancelled for the trucks, due to an accident with a car on the track, today the first stage of the Dakar 2016 was called off as well. Severe weather prevented the helicopters to fly and the track was flooded after heavy rainfall.
The trucks of Petronas Team De Rooy Iveco were already on their way tot he start of the special stage when they got the message the stage was cancelled. All trucks were send directly tot he next bivouac in Villa Carlos Paz via the assistance route.
The weather forecast for the coming days is not very hopeful.
