MOTOR SPORTS NEWS

Latest News

  • Conor Daly finished 8th in his 10th Indianapolis 500 – Ed Carpenter Racing
  • Ed Carpenter Racing & Conor Daly competes in 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500
  • Jim Clark Rally takes the BRC to the closed roads of the Scottish Borders for Rd 2, 2023 season
  • How Extreme E delivered off track in Scotland
  • Misano 2023 EU Truck Race Report from T Sport Bernau team
  • 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 knows: To finish first, you first have to finish

Jan 16, 2016


  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Tweet

One is never ‘almost’ there, certainly not in the Dakar. Gerard de Rooy knows that more than anyone. That’s why he doesn’t take any risks, not in the penultimate stage and not in the final one. “I have quite a margin but if I have to, I’ll drive the final stage in second gear.”

De Rooy has his second victory in the Dakar at his fingertips and he refuses to let it slip away. But he realizes nothing is for granted. “Look at what happened today: Gert Huzink’s Tatra burned down to the ground, Dmitri Sotnikov blew the engine of his Kamaz. I don’t care how, but I’m going to take my Iveco Powerstar to the podium. Upside down or inside out, doesn’t matter. To finish first, you first have to finish.”
Petronas Team De Rooy Iveco played ‘rather safe than sorry’ in the twelfth stage and decided that Federico Villagra was allowed to try his luck in winning the stage, but Ton van Genugten had to wait for the leader of the overall rankings to cover his back. “Ton waited for me and we stayed together all day,” De Rooy explained. “It wasn’t a stage in which overtaking was easy. In the first part it was a mountain pass with narrow paths, in the second part there was quite some dust.”
De Rooy’s nearest rival Airat Mardeev didn’t take any risks either and therefore De Rooy, who finished in fifth, clawed back the minutes the Russian took in stage 11. “He has to defend his second position like I defend my position,” De Rooy knew. “Neither of us can gain anything, but both of us can lose a lot.”
For Van Genugten the waiting for De Rooy for nine minutes meant a bit more pressure from behind in the overall standings. With 180 kms to go in the final stage, the Dutchman has 11 minutes left on the number 5 in the general rankings. “It would be a pity to lose that, but winning the Dakar as a team is more important than ending up in fourth or fifth,” the driver of the Iveco Trakker said.
For Federico Villagra there was something left: a possible stage win and a slight chance of closing in on second in the rankings. The Argentinian driver of the #514 Powerstar tried his best but he had to acknowledge the superiority of Peter Versluis in the stage. Second place was not enough to become a serious threat to Mardeev in the overall list.
The stage favorited the second Trakker of Petronas Team De Rooy Iveco. Pep Vila not only finished in eleventh in the special, but more importantly moved up into the top 10 overall.
“It would be great to finish with four Iveco’s in the top 10,” De Rooy said. “It still is a shame Ales Loprais had to abandon, but I would have never dreamt of the scenario with Petronas Team De Rooy Iveco’s in first, third, fourth and tenth. We’ll do whatever it takes to stick to this.”


  • tweet
Related articles
  • Conor Daly finished 8th in his 10th Indianapolis 500 – Ed Carpenter Racing
    Conor Daly finished 8th in his 10th...

    May 30, 2023 Comments Off on Conor Daly finished 8th in his 10th Indianapolis 500 – Ed Carpenter Racing

  • Ed Carpenter Racing & Conor Daly competes in 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500
    Ed Carpenter Racing & Conor Daly...

    May 27, 2023 Comments Off on Ed Carpenter Racing & Conor Daly competes in 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500

  • Jim Clark Rally takes the BRC to the closed roads of the Scottish Borders for Rd 2, 2023 season
    Jim Clark Rally takes the BRC to the...

    May 26, 2023 Comments Off on Jim Clark Rally takes the BRC to the closed roads of the Scottish Borders for Rd 2, 2023 season

  • How Extreme E delivered off track in Scotland
    How Extreme E delivered off track in...

    May 26, 2023 Comments Off on How Extreme E delivered off track in Scotland

More in this category
  • How Extreme E delivered off track in Scotland
    How Extreme E delivered off track in...

    Comments Off on How Extreme E delivered off track in Scotland

  • Misano 2023 EU Truck Race Report from T Sport Bernau team
    Misano 2023 EU Truck Race Report from T...

    Comments Off on Misano 2023 EU Truck Race Report from T Sport Bernau team

  • IVECO makes a stand for sustainability in the European Truck Racing Championship 2023
    IVECO makes a stand for sustainability...

    Comments Off on IVECO makes a stand for sustainability in the European Truck Racing Championship 2023

  • Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux crew Al-Rajhi & Gottschalk win new Tabuk-Neom Rally
    Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux crew...

    Comments Off on Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux crew Al-Rajhi & Gottschalk win new Tabuk-Neom Rally


Fleet Car Magazine

Notice Board

  • For Sale! 1991 Jordan-Ford driven by Mick Schumacher at Bonhams Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris auction
    For Sale! 1991 Jordan-Ford driven by Mick Schumacher at...

    Jan 18, 2023

    Tweet1991 Jordan-Ford driven by Mick Schumacher in 2021 to...
  • Opel Ireland partners with Mondello Park to launch 2022 EARLY-DRIVE road safety programme
    Opel Ireland partners with Mondello Park to launch 2022...

    Aug 21, 2022

    TweetA unique young driver education programme, developed...
  • Goodyear FIA ETRC pays tribute to Anthony Janiec
    Goodyear FIA ETRC pays tribute to Anthony Janiec

    Aug 07, 2022

    Tweet The Goodyear FIA ETRC, ETRA Promotion and the entire...
  • 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...

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

How Extreme E delivered off track in Scotland

How Extreme E delivered off track in Scotland

May 26, 2023

Tweet The Hydro X Prix in Dumfries and Galloway marked a number of successes on course at the former opencast coal mine at Glenmuckloch. There were also multiple initiatives taking place off-track as...
Read More
Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux crew Al-Rajhi & Gottschalk win new Tabuk-Neom Rally

Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux crew Al-Rajhi...

May 21, 2023

X44 Vida Carbon Racing’s Fraser McConnell’s first win in Extreme E

X44 Vida Carbon Racing’s Fraser...

May 19, 2023

40 years of Audi Sport GmbH with a Rev-Up at the Nürburgring!

40 years of Audi Sport GmbH with a Rev-Up at the...

May 19, 2023

Impressive entry list for first Tabuk-Neom Rally: 2023 Saudi Toyota Rally Championship

Impressive entry list for first Tabuk-Neom Rally:...

May 14, 2023

Copyright 2016 / All rights reserved