High expectations for Gerard de Rooy & Wuf van Ginkel for Iveco in Africa Eco Race
After a thorough preparation, Gerard de Rooy and Wuf van Ginkel – Petronas Team De Rooy Iveco – have high hopes for the Africa Eco Race rally in Morocco.
Team De Rooy goes for nothing less than the victory in the Africa Eco Race. Gerard de Rooy is with his familiar Iveco Powerstar, while Wuf van Ginkel will drive with the new Powerstar Evo, with independent suspension. “In terms of competition, the Dakar Rally in South America is stronger”, De Rooy admits. “My main rivals are there. Still, for this year. But the fun is in the Africa Eco Race. I hope that next year we can combine both: the fun and the competition.”
For De Rooy, the challenge now is to win the general classification, and in the route. “The first few days of the rally, the stages in Morocco, are familiar ground for us. I am especially looking forward to the second week, to the stages in Mauritania. In the past, when the Dakar Rally was still in Africa, I’ve been there four or five times and that is really nice. A lot of sand, nice drive and a nice rally, that’s what I look forward to.”
For Wuf van Ginkel, the same applies. He also knows Mauretania from the ‘old Dakar’. “The preparation was good, the trucks are good, the route looks good. So yes: I do have high expectations. Driving a truck with independent suspension through the dunes is very special. So I especially look forward to the driving and certainly with this truck.”
The first special stage of the Africa Eco Race begins on January 2nd.
