Mixed day for Team De Rooy FPT: victory for Mitchel van den Brink, Kay Huzink forced to retire

Oct 02, 2026

Mitchel van den Brink has also won the second stage of the Rallye OLA Energy du Maroc. The Team De Rooy FPT driver was the fastest in the truck category with a time of 4:02.46 hours. It is his second consecutive stage win. For teammate Kay Huzink, the rally ends after two days. He finished fifth, but the damage to his truck could not be repaired in the bivouac.

The stage featured a 299.9-kilometre special stage starting and finishing in Zagora. The route consisted of hard, rocky terrain, loose stones and a substantial stretch of dunes. Van den Brink was the first truck to start. He began the day with a lead of more than eleven minutes over Martin Macík. The Czech driver had received a ten-minute time penalty after the first stage.

Steady pace in the heat

Van den Brink drove the entire day without stopping or getting a puncture. “We got off to a really good start. We drove at a fairly high pace,” Van den Brink said. Still, the high temperatures demanded attention. “I think it was about 40 degrees on the track. And it’s even hotter in the cab,” the Dutchman said. According to him, this made it hard work for all three crew members.

Navigation makes the difference

The team gained time in a dry riverbed, where many competitors took the wrong route. Navigator Bart van Heun found the right track straight away. “But Bart navigated brilliantly. In one oued I saw that a lot of people went the wrong way,” said Van den Brink. This also allowed the truck to overtake several Toyotas. Mechanic Jarno van de Pol was also praised. He continually adjusted the tyre pressure to the changing conditions.

Huzink unable to continue the rally

Huzink started the special stage calmly. For this day, the truck had been reset to the setup Huzink previously used at the Morocco Desert Challenge. After about 20 kilometres, the team suffered a puncture. At kilometre 90, a buggy rolled over. The crew stopped to offer assistance and then continued on their way. Dust from competitors ahead subsequently made driving difficult.

At the neutralisation zone, it turned out that the rear of the truck was damaged. Huzink then eased off the throttle. At the pit stop at kilometre 190, the mechanics provided assistance. Huzink finished fifth, 35:46 minutes behind his teammate. The crew then drove calmly to the bivouac. There, the damage to the truck turned out to be so severe that further participation in the rally is not possible.

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