MOTOR SPORTS NEWS

Latest News

  • 2022 FIA Middle East Rally Championship, Rd4 at Jordan Rally – 19-21 May
  • Super 5th for CONOR DALY in the No. 20 BitNile Chevrolet at GMR GP at Indianapolis
  • Miami Grand Prix given extra sparkle by Williams Racing….and Surge!
  • Gillan grinds to the top of the podium at the Cookstown 100 road races
  • CONOR DALY – Ed Carpenter Racing BitNile Chevrolet, Qualifies 4th at GMR Grand Prix at Indy
  • Home
  • News
  • Dakar
    • DAKAR 2016
    • Dakar 2015
  • Cross-Country Rally
  • Notice Board
  • Rally
  • Motorbike
  • Touring Cars
  • Circuit Racing
  • Events
  • follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Google+
    • Pinterest
    • RSS Feed
    • Linked
    • Youtube

De Rooy surprised by huge differences

Jan 14, 2016


  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Tweet

He didn’t win the stage, but Gerard de Rooy was the big winner of the tenth stage of the Dakar 2016. Petronas Team De Rooy Iveco’s captain took a lead of one hour and 15 minutes to the number 2. Yesterday that was Eduard Nikolaev, but in the notorious dunes of Fiambalá the Russian lost over three hours, like his compatriot Karginov. “Unbelievable differences,” De Rooy said, amazed. “Kamaz took a gamble and lost.”

It took more than an hour after Gerard de Rooy had finished before the next truck crossed the line: Federico Villagra with the other Iveco Powerstar. Another half hour later Ton van Genugten brought his Trakker to the end of the stage. And then it lasted for ages. “I didn’t understand,” Gerard de Rooy tells. “But it was great news anyhow.”
The three Iveco’s and the Kamaz’s of Nikolaev and Karginov took the start of the special two hours ahead of the other trucks, together with the top 10 cars. Because of this so called Super Start there were no tracks at all and the Iveco-navigators Moi Torrallardona, Jorge Companc and Anton van Limpt had a serious job to do.
“Normally there are quite some cars ahead of us, but now there were no trails at all,” De Rooy explains. “For the first 50 kms it was chaos. Stéphane Peterhansel and Nasser Al-Attiyah came driving back. Everybody was mixed up. But after that first part, is was okay.”
After 107 kms into the special the trucks had to take a break for 15 minutes. De Rooy saw his team mates Villagra and Van Genugten entering the waiting zone, but there was no sign of a Kamaz. “I thought that was quite funny,” De Rooy said. At that point Villagra had recorded the best partial time, followed by Van Genugten at 6 minutes and De Rooy at 12 minutes.

Only after the break the game was on for real. “It was really difficult,” De Rooy describes. “Low dunes, but super soft sand. Many steps, a lot of steering through the molehills. I almost toppled over. It was a narrow escape.”
In the last bit tot he finish De Rooy suffered two punctures. They changed the first one, but on the advice of mechanic Darek Rodewald they left the second one undone. De Rooy: “It was only 12 kms to the finish line. Changing the tyre would cost more time than to go on like this. At the finish the tyre was completely destroyed. As was the rim.”
De Rooy’s punctures were peanuts compared to what others ran into. The air hose of Villagra’s Powerstar broke twice. Van Genugten was stuck in the sand for one and a half hour. An attempt by Villagra to pull him out was to no purpose. “We had to dig it out,” Van Genugten recalls.
Back on track Van Genugten saw a Kamaz on its side, but as they had not shown any intention of helping out the Iveco, the Dutchman continued. At the finish line Villagra had lost some 50 minutes to De Rooy, Van Genugten gave in one and a half hour.

The trucks that had started two later gained profit from the tracks of the first five. Dutchman Pascal de Baar (Renault) took the stage win by surprise. Airat Mardeev recorded the third fastest time. While his compatriots lost over three hours the 2015 champion took over second place in the general standings, 1.15.19 behind De Rooy. Federico Villagra is the second Iveco in the top 3, at a distance of 1.32.47. Despite the digging Ton van Genugten held on to fifth. “A blessing in disguise, but still I’m pretty pissed off,” the driver of the Iveco Trakker said. Nikolaev plummet to tenth, with Pep Vila and his Petronas Team De Rooy Iveco on his heels.
“A margin of more than an hour is quite comfortable,” De Rooy said. “With three stages to go I’m not going to take any more risks. As far as I’m concerned Kamaz can take the next three specials.”


  • tweet
Related articles
  • 2022 FIA Middle East Rally Championship, Rd4 at Jordan Rally – 19-21 May
    2022 FIA Middle East Rally...

    May 15, 2022 Comments Off on 2022 FIA Middle East Rally Championship, Rd4 at Jordan Rally – 19-21 May

  • Super 5th for CONOR DALY in the No. 20 BitNile Chevrolet at GMR GP at Indianapolis
    Super 5th for CONOR DALY in the No. 20...

    May 15, 2022 Comments Off on Super 5th for CONOR DALY in the No. 20 BitNile Chevrolet at GMR GP at Indianapolis

  • Miami Grand Prix given extra sparkle by Williams Racing….and Surge!
    Miami Grand Prix given extra sparkle by...

    May 14, 2022 Comments Off on Miami Grand Prix given extra sparkle by Williams Racing….and Surge!

  • Gillan grinds to the top of the podium at the Cookstown 100 road races
    Gillan grinds to the top of the podium...

    May 14, 2022 Comments Off on Gillan grinds to the top of the podium at the Cookstown 100 road races

More in this category
  • Test of the Audi RS Q e-tron and the Ducati DesertX in Sardinia
    Test of the Audi RS Q e-tron and the...

    Comments Off on Test of the Audi RS Q e-tron and the Ducati DesertX in Sardinia

  • BTRC 2022 to run exclusively on Giti Race-Tuned v1 tyres
    BTRC 2022 to run exclusively on Giti...

    Comments Off on BTRC 2022 to run exclusively on Giti Race-Tuned v1 tyres

  • Entries Open for Rallye du Maroc 2022 Edition
    Entries Open for Rallye du Maroc 2022...

    Comments Off on Entries Open for Rallye du Maroc 2022 Edition

  • Extreme E marks Earth Day with Amazon programme visit
    Extreme E marks Earth Day with Amazon...

    Comments Off on Extreme E marks Earth Day with Amazon programme visit


Fleet Car Magazine

Notice Board

  • Killarney Forestry Rally to raise funds for Air Ambulance
    Killarney Forestry Rally to raise funds for Air Ambulance

    Feb 03, 2022

    TweetRally drivers from across Ireland will help fund...
  • McHugh’s Service Station, Ballindine Mayo Stages Rally, 6 March 2022
    McHugh’s Service Station, Ballindine Mayo Stages Rally, 6...

    Jan 27, 2022

    TweetMayo & District Motorsport Club, organisers of the...
  • Osian Pryce takes second British Rally Championship victory in a row at Cambrian Rally – 4th BRC win for Creighton
    Osian Pryce takes second British Rally Championship victory...

    Oct 31, 2021

    Tweet William Creighton takes his fourth Junior BRC win of...
  • Audi Sport electrifies with U.S. star Ken Block
    Audi Sport electrifies with U.S. star Ken Block

    Sep 24, 2021

    Tweet Electrifying addition to the brand with the four...
  • Formula One Car by Car 1990-99 by Evro Publishing
    Formula One Car by Car 1990-99 by Evro Publishing

    Apr 16, 2021

    TweetThis instalment in Evro’s decade-by-decade series...

Categories

  • Africa Eco-Race
  • Baja
  • BRC
  • Circuit Racing
  • Cross-Country Rally
  • Dakar
  • Dakar 2015
  • DAKAR 2016
  • DAKAR 2017
  • DAKAR 2019 PERU
  • DAKAR RALLY 2018
  • EV Motorsport
  • Events
  • EverGreeens: Irish Abroad
  • Extreme E
  • Forestry Rally
  • Formula 1
  • Hillclimb
  • IndyCar Series
  • Interview
  • Middle East Rally Championship
  • Morocco Rally
  • Motorbike
  • News
  • Notice Board
  • Rally
  • RallyX
  • Related products
  • Review
  • Sportscars
  • Touring Cars
  • Tribute
  • Truck Racing
  • Uncategorized
  • Video
  • WRC
Tweets by @IrMotSportNews

Recent Posts

Test of the Audi RS Q e-tron and the Ducati DesertX in Sardinia

Test of the Audi RS Q e-tron and the Ducati DesertX in Sardinia

May 08, 2022

Tweet The new DesertX motorcycle and the RS Q e-tron for the Dakar Rally. The designers of both brands have created an unmistakable, joint look for the motorcycle and the car.  Two unusual vehicles,...
Read More
Entries Open for Rallye du Maroc 2022 Edition

Entries Open for Rallye du Maroc 2022 Edition

May 02, 2022

Extreme E marks Earth Day with Amazon programme visit

Extreme E marks Earth Day with Amazon programme...

Apr 23, 2022

M-Sport to pursue Dakar ambitions with Neil Woolridge Motorsport

M-Sport to pursue Dakar ambitions with Neil...

Apr 14, 2022

Dacia secures victory in the Crossover category of the 31st Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc

Dacia secures victory in the Crossover category...

Apr 10, 2022

Copyright 2016 / All rights reserved