Team De Rooy Iveco cuts back on Cross-Country Rally activities
For the 2020 season and beyond, Team De Rooy is undergoing some drastic changes. Gerard de Rooy will no longer participate in rallies for the time being and De Rooy Holding will cut down sponsoring. The team will continue to exist in a slimmed-down form, with two Iveco Powerstars. Three rally trucks are for sale.
The immediate cause for the changes is the Coronavirus crisis. “It has hit both our company and our partners pretty hard,” says Gerard de Rooy. “And it forces us to drastically adjust the plans for the near future. Under normal circumstances, we would have started in the Dakar 2021 with five trucks. But the Corona crisis is creating so much uncertainty – not just in terms of the events, but also business and financial – that we have to set priorities and make decisions.”
One of those decisions is that Gerard de Rooy himself will no longer drive any rallies in the near future and that De Rooy Holding will reduce sponsoring. “I would like to remain active in the organization and support. Myself and the team have a lot of knowledge and experience and we don’t want to lose that.”
Part of the active rally team – two Powerstars and a Trakker – will be sold, preferably to one party or group. De Rooy can continue to provide service and maintenance, as well as support in the organization for participating in rallies, such as the Morocco Desert Challenge and the Dakar Rally. There is also a possibility that part of the service will be taken over by the new party. “Various constructions are possible. Everything is negotiable.”
Engines remain the property of Team De Rooy at all times and are leased to the new party. Recently, a Powerstar was sold to the Firemen Team in such a construction.
“We keep two new Powerstars ourselves,” says De Rooy. “They will become available for rent or lease, as has been the case in recent years. This allows Team De Rooy to participate in rallies in a slimmed-down form. We are discussing this with a number of drivers. Keeping these trucks ourselves also keeps the possibilities open for the longer term. Team De Rooy will not cease to exist.”
