MOTOR SPORTS NEWS

Latest News

  • 2023 Qatar International Baja – 15/18 March 2023 FIA World & Middle East Cups for Cross-Country Bajas, RD2
  • Creighton conquers WRC Rallye Monte Carlo
  • Strong entry listing for 2023 Corrib Oil Galway International Rally 
  • 2023 Oman International Rally gets underway
  • M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Launches Re-Energised Livery for 2023
  • 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

Team Petronas Team De Rooy Iveco excited about 2017 Dakar

Jan 02, 2017


  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Tweet

The trucks of Petronas Team De Rooy Iveco drove to scrutineering in Asunción in a downpour. The weather forecast for the start of the 2017 Dakar shows plenty more rain to come. “We will have to wait and see, but it doesn’t look good,” Gerard de Rooy says. “Then again, it’s the same for everyone. I’ll fit the rain tyres and see what happens.”

As defending champion, Gerard de Rooy was the centre of attention during scrutineering. “It’s a great feeling to come here with the number 500 plate on the Iveco. There’s no extra pressure. I won’t be doing anything much different to last year. The aim is not to lose too much time in the first week, and then attack in the second week. I definitely won’t be going all out in the first few days. In the rain, with greasy mud on narrow trails, you have everything to lose. I don’t have to win the first stage. I don’t even have to be in the top five, because nobody’s going to gain minutes of advantage here. Stay inside the top 10 and keep everything in one piece, that’s the first objective.”

Team De Rooy had a shakedown yesterday (Friday) to make sure the trucks had survived the sea journey from Le Havre in one piece. “To test the headphones and microphones, adjust the harnesses with our race suits on. Details like that matter,” De Rooy explains. “We checked the tripmasters over thoroughly as well, because my navigator Moi Torrallardona is a bit nervous about the new navigation regulations. It’s going to be tough with the new rules, but it will be fairer for everyone. The organisation have banned smartphones in the truck. That’s to prevent navigators from loading the maps onto them and then checking to see what it looks like on Google Maps. I think it’s good that they are more strict about that.”

Villagra: An outsider no more
Last year, Federico Villagra started the race as an outsider, but after finishing third on his debut in the trucks, the Argentinian is one of the favourites for the 2017 Dakar. He is happy to be part of Team De Rooy, with the Powerstar in the colours of his new Argentinian sponsor. “Everything was new for us last year,” Villagra explains. “We learned a lot from that. This year, we approached some areas differently. We trained a lot harder, for example, to be better prepared physically for the race and for the altitude. This year, we hope we won’t make the same mistakes we did last year, so we don’t lose the time we did.”
Like De Rooy, Villagra doesn’t believe that race will be decided in the first week. As an ex-WRC rally driver, he made up a lot of time on the fast tracks last year, but things will be different now. “I think there will be some stages shortened or cancelled in the first few days, because of the rain. The mud here is really greasy. That makes it dangerous. Nobody wants any part of that.”

Van Genugten: From day to day
The start of the 2017 Dakar is special for Ton van Genugten this year as well. After finishing fifth last year as a fast assistance truck, the Dutchman is free to race for results this year. Just how far this opportunity can take him is still open to question, of course. “There are maybe ten, eleven teams who are good enough for the top three. So I can shoot my mouth off about aiming for the podium, but a couple of flat tyres could change everything. We’re taking things day by day. After the first few kilometres, I’ll know what I have to do, take it steady or go flat out. You don’t necessarily have to be lucky, but you really can’t afford any bad luck. So I’m not aiming for a position, but we’re in good shape. We’ve trained hard, we’ve prepared well, and yesterday’s shakedown went well. The whole team is in good shape. So I’m confident. It’s always great to be here, but the last few days before the start always seem to last forever. I can’t wait for January 2nd.”

Van Ginkel: Taking time
The job of providing fast assistance for Team De Rooy is in the hands of Wuf van Ginkel this year. He starts his twelfth Dakar in a De Rooy Iveco. And he can hardly wait. “It took time to get used to everything, but this team makes you feel at home very quickly. It’s an interesting challenge. I’ll have to push pretty hard to be able to stay with men like Gerard and Federico. Same with Ton.”
That won’t be easy, especially in the first few days. Starting with number 532 means there are some 25 trucks between Van Ginkel and the other De Rooy Ivecos. “That’s not ideal. It’s going to take me a couple of days to move up the field,” Van Ginkel realises. “The first day is just a short stage, you can only gain a couple of places. And the second and third days are on tracks where overtaking is difficult. But we’ll have to see how much racing we actually get to do. I was talking to Villagra about it: the soil here is so greasy that when it rains, it feels like you’re driving on ice. And the cars and trucks churn all that blubber up. I can’t believe they will send us out on that if it keeps raining in the next few days.”

The 2017 Dakar starts with the podium ceremony in Asunción. Team De Rooy don’t get their turn until late in the evening (European time). The first stage, 39 kilometres from Asunción to Resistencia in Argentina, is on January 2nd.


  • tweet
Related articles
  • 2023 Qatar International Baja – 15/18 March 2023 FIA World & Middle East Cups for Cross-Country Bajas, RD2
    2023 Qatar International Baja –...

    Jan 26, 2023 Comments Off on 2023 Qatar International Baja – 15/18 March 2023 FIA World & Middle East Cups for Cross-Country Bajas, RD2

  • Creighton conquers WRC Rallye Monte Carlo
    Creighton conquers WRC Rallye Monte...

    Jan 26, 2023 Comments Off on Creighton conquers WRC Rallye Monte Carlo

  • Strong entry listing for 2023 Corrib Oil Galway International Rally 
    Strong entry listing for 2023 Corrib...

    Jan 26, 2023 Comments Off on Strong entry listing for 2023 Corrib Oil Galway International Rally 

  • 2023 Oman International Rally gets underway
    2023 Oman International Rally gets...

    Jan 26, 2023 Comments Off on 2023 Oman International Rally gets underway

More in this category
  • 2023 Qatar International Baja – 15/18 March 2023 FIA World & Middle East Cups for Cross-Country Bajas, RD2
    2023 Qatar International Baja –...

    Comments Off on 2023 Qatar International Baja – 15/18 March 2023 FIA World & Middle East Cups for Cross-Country Bajas, RD2

  • Another Dakar Rally victory for Nasser & Toyota Gazoo Hilux
    Another Dakar Rally victory for Nasser...

    Comments Off on Another Dakar Rally victory for Nasser & Toyota Gazoo Hilux

  • Ignacio Casale finishes Dakar 10th for X-raid Yamaha supported team
    Ignacio Casale finishes Dakar 10th for...

    Comments Off on Ignacio Casale finishes Dakar 10th for X-raid Yamaha supported team

  • X-raid’s Halpern finishes 9th in new MINI JCW Rally Plus on Dakar 2023
    X-raid’s Halpern finishes 9th in...

    Comments Off on X-raid’s Halpern finishes 9th in new MINI JCW Rally Plus on Dakar 2023


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

2023 Qatar International Baja – 15/18 March 2023 FIA World & Middle East Cups for Cross-Country Bajas, RD2

2023 Qatar International Baja – 15/18 March 2023 FIA World...

Jan 26, 2023

Tweet FIM Bajas World Cup, round 2 QMMF ANNOUNCES SECOND ROUNDS OF FIA AND FIM BAJA CUPS  LUSAIL (Qatar): The 2023 Qatar International Baja will be a counting round of both the FIA World and Middle...
Read More
Another Dakar Rally victory for Nasser & Toyota Gazoo Hilux

Another Dakar Rally victory for Nasser &...

Jan 16, 2023

Ignacio Casale finishes Dakar 10th for X-raid Yamaha supported team

Ignacio Casale finishes Dakar 10th for X-raid...

Jan 15, 2023

X-raid’s Halpern finishes 9th in new MINI JCW Rally Plus on Dakar 2023

X-raid’s Halpern finishes 9th in new MINI...

Jan 15, 2023

Team Audi Sport on Dakar 2023 – Good individual results & Setbacks

Team Audi Sport on Dakar 2023 – Good...

Jan 15, 2023

Copyright 2016 / All rights reserved