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LE DAKAR 2021
2 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
Photography and stories by
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DAVID CASTERA DIRECTOR LE DAKAR
INTERVIEW WITH DAV I D C A S T E R A Does the Dakar have a future in KSA? Of course! The country offers an endless number of deserts and dunes which gives us an incredible choice of tracks. We have signed a partnership for the next five years. ASO is a Sports organization, we don’t play politics, we’ve chosen this region for the beauty of the terrain and the rally courses, through desert, rocks and mountains. The country is so beautiful, there are as yet fabulous combinations to discover. The Dakar is unique for its formula and for the multiple challenges that Covid-19 has brought us. What lessons have you learned from the Dakar 2021?
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The Dakar was one of the very few international events which could occur within the period of this pandemic. I remember the amazing mobilization of all organizing teams and all Saudis to make the event happen. We had to constantly reinvent ourselves and we were able to demonstrate again the absolute strength of the event, which mobilized everyone, and we saw participants responded in great numbers. The way you explore the stages one day in advance has changed in favour of the use of Google Earth? Some competitors mentioned Roadbook problems, does the new way of doing things impact on field reconnaissance?
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Google Earth is only used to define the tracks to be recognized for validation. We never offer a route that is defined solely by means of satellite images.
There is a lot of fantasy and nonsense surrounding this. I would also like to point out that the road book has never been wrong as such; if navigation has become more difficult, it’s mainly due to the Arabian deserts being difficult to navigate because of its countless hardto-find tracks. Moreover, the co-pilots no longer have early access to the road book. They receive the road book the very morning of the stage and must use their intelligence to read, interpret and understand it quickly. Some do it well, others don’t, and that’s where gossip starts that the road book may be inaccurate. You announced at Néom, during the last rally-raid, that Le Dakar will go Green. Can you remind us of the main decisions? First of all, I don’t really like the term “Green” which is used for everything and nothing! However, it is true that we are looking at ways to improve our Sport and adapt to the needs of our world. The Dakar is a fabulous openair laboratory, which is its own driving force and offers the opportunity to try out new energy solutions, essential to the continuity of our society. It will be done gradually, with both hybrid and hydrogen. From next year on, there will be a specific “alternative energies” category, T1E. In 2026, only cars and trucks meeting the new standard set for very low emissions will be part of the Elite categories. We may then be able to transfer the new technology to amateur drivers, who may rent vehicles; then in 2030, all categories must meet the low CO2 emissions requirement.
What are the reactions of the main competitors, how do they respond? There is a keen interest; for example, Audi will be present as from next year with a hybrid car, which will consequently evolve fast. It’s great news. In addition, we have many other teams working on hydrogen projects that will appear as early as 2023. Isn’t this the end of the little participants, who are not able to finance such major technical changes? Amateurs are only concerned by this development in 2030, which will allow time to see how these technologies evolve and become less expensive. It is amazing how many participants, ‘small’ as you say, but full of resources, are capable - sometimes more quickly than the large manufacturers, to adapt to new techniques and racing demands.
The Dutch are known to be smart and fast. I have no doubt that they will find innovative ways to participate in a Dakar turned towards new energies. Considering the important changes to come, could ASO consider a support to those who develop ZE-O (Zero emissions off road) solutions and do ZE-O participants have a chance to reach the podium? Obviously, we are going to support all the “low emission” projects that will come to the Dakar before 2026. And of course, they will not come just to make up numbers – they will be competing to win. We will work closely with FIA to ensure a right balance of performance between all vehicles.
Do you enjoy being the race director and how long will you stay in function? Glad to be the Director, no hesitation here; there is so much to do and develop, I love these challenges! Organizing a Dakar is an integrated approach, with a strong and united team, we are improving and working on the future of Le Dakar. Imagine, making it possible for a hydrogen car to participate in Le Dakar, sooner rather than later - it is an open door to the development of every-day cars of the future . What a joy! But it’s not just about managing the technical transformations. We are also bringing many new innovations to the field, such as the formatting of our bivouacs, ending for instance generators in favour of solar panels. There are many challenges to pick up and as long as I have motivation and enthusiasm, I will pursue my mission. Thanks David!
CASTERA’S BIOGRAPHY In 1992, David became National Enduro Champion in France and in 1993 Junior World Champion of Enduro teams. He also started in the Rally Raids and the Bajas with the Tunisia Rally, and afterwards participated twice in the Paris-Peking Rally at the age of 21, the Atlas Rally, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Rally, various Bajas and five times in the Paris-Dakar, winning the third position in 1997. In 1993, he participated in the Gilles Lalay Classic (The toughest Enduro race in the world). After two second places, in 2001 he won a hard-fought victory against his friend Cyril Després.
In 2000, he created an Event company, organizing biker outings, press conferences, seminars and rallies for road bikes, he also became the promoter of the French Motorcycling Federation for the French Enduro and Cross-Country Championship. At this time, he also created the Shark X Trem, a multidisciplinary adventure raid for teams of two people. In 2005, he joined ASO as Sports Director of ParisDakar and Deputy Director of Mechanical Sports. In 2013, he moved with his family to Buenos Aires to continue his task as Sports Director of Dakar.
In 2016, Peugeot Sport asked David to become official co-pilot of Cyril Després in Rally Raids. The Després-Castera tandem won the Silk-Way in 2016 and 2017, and they finished on the podium at a 3rd place in Dakar in 2017. In January 2018, the company ODC, S.L. represented by David Castera, acquires the Rallye du Maroc. In January 2019, David joins the XRaid team during the Dakar Rally as co-pilot of Stéphane Peterhansel. Then in March 2019, David took over the direction of the Dakar Rally.
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David Castera (50) spent his earlier life as professional Enduro and Rally Raid driver.
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FACTS & FIGURES
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Nationalit y of the Dakar competitors in Le Dakar 2021
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South Africa
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Source: A.S.O.
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Japan
Lithuan
Italy
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CATEGORIES OF LE DAKAR MOTORBIKES Although the vast majority of the bikers are amateurs, the selection process is very strict. In order to participate in the Dakar, candidates must have already completed a leg of the FIM CrossCountry World Cup or a “Dakar Series” race. “ELITE” RIDERS (YELLOW NUMBER PLATES) These riders have all finished in the top 10 of the general classification or won at least one special (not including the prologue) in a previous edition. ORIGINAL BY MOTUL (RED NUMBER PLATES) The Dakar rally in its purest tradition. Riders do not have help from assistants or mechanics. There are limits and controls on the use of external assistance. Transport of parts and tools is organized by ASO and they all have their dedicated box for this. So, riders not only have to ride, but also undertake their own maintenance and repairs.
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All motorbikes in the Dakar have their engine capacity limited to 450 cc.
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QUADS The maximum engine capacity is 750 cc for twowheel drive machines and 900 cc for four-wheel drives. LIGHTWEIGHT VEHICLES Lightweight vehicles bring together the T3 and T4 categories. T3s (race number on a violet background) are prototypes crafted by specialized makers. T4s (race number on a white background) are based on production vehicles also known as SSVs. Equipped with fuel tanks no larger than 130 litres and a range of 250 kilometers, these vehicles stop at the same refuelling stations as the motorbikes. SSV Side by Side Vehicle are a lightweight vehicle, mainly based on Polaris, Yamaha or Can-Am’s.
CARS, T1: The most common type (among professionals and amateurs) is a prototype that meets Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) technical and safety standards. The base of the vehicle is a tubular chassis on which mechanical and safety components are mounted. The bodywork, often made from fiberglass or carbon, usually emulates the profile of a production vehicle, but these vehicles are entirely designed and developed for competition. T1’s are two- or four-wheel drive machines equipped with petrol or diesel-powered engines. CARS, T2: Their race number is on a white background. These are production off-road vehicles that have been modified for competition. The concept is relatively simple. Based on a production 4×4 vehicle purchased from a dealership, modifications are made following a highly regulated and primarily safety-oriented preparation: roll cage, bucket seats, fuel tanks…
OPEN CATEGORIE: The OPEN class comprises several subcategories. It includes vehicles meeting technical standards different from those of the FIA, such as the American SCORE rules for electric vehicles and alternative-powered vehicles.
DAKAR CLASSIC The Dakar Classic is a regularity race for cars and trucks, manufactured before 2000. These competitors have the same bivouac, start and finish as the other classifications. They have a parallel race route, to that of Le Dakar, which is suitable for historical vehicles.
TRUCKS T5.1: These are production-based trucks that meet FIA regulations. They have become quite rare because they are not very suitable for crossing dunes, for example. T5.2: The most common. These are prototype trucks, following regulations written by ASO, the organizer of the Dakar. However, the cabin and certain components must be productionbased. For safety reasons, their top speed is capped at 140 km/h.
Source: A.S.O.
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T5.3: These “rapid support” vehicles have their race numbers on a pink background and carry spare parts: these former T5.1 or T5.2 trucks now serve as rolling workshops and can also assist other types of vehicles in need.
STAGE TYPES PROLOGUE Short special. This race determines the starting list for stage 1. BIVOUAC-DSS LINK SECTOR The vehicles leave the bivouac, usually on a public road, to head to the start of the special, where the motorbikes set off at sunrise. START OF THE TIMED SECTOR (DSS) This is where the clock starts ticking. Competitors usually start in the order determined by the previous stage. Failure to make it to the start on time gives rise to a penalty. CHECKPOINT (CP) Intermediate times are recorded at several points on the course of the special. Each vehicle’s logbook is then stamped by a race official.
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FINISH OF THE TIMED SECTOR (ASS) The rankings of the day is based on the time set at the ASS, pending any penalties that may be applied if GPS analysis reveals, for example, that one or more waypoints have been missed.
SPECIAL STAGE This is the actual rally section. MARATHON STAGE The marathon stage is contested without any support vehicles or team/support members; all outside assistance is also prohibited. Only competitors who are authorised to work on their vehicles; assistance between competitors who are still in the race is allowed. DAKAR EXPERIENCE Competitors (not including Elite and Priority competitors) who have to withdraw before the finish of the race may re-enter the rally within the three next stages, albeit relegated to a parallel classification. These vehicles will bear orange plates and are not permitted to start in the first 25 positions of a special.
ASS-BIVOUAC LINK SECTION Although the timed sector has come to an end, the day is not totally over at the ASS, which can sometimes be several hundred kilometers away from the bivouac. The riders, drivers and crews have a certain time to reach the bivouac, always within the speed limits in force in the country. Source: A.S.O.
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FREEDOM OF SAND
“It’s a huge challenge to get to the start of Le Dakar. Especially this year! Due to the COVID crisis it was more difficult than ever to raise budget for our participation. We are largely dependent on sponsors and, like us, some of them were in a state of uncertainty. And if you are short on budget, you simply cannot start the rally. On top of that, this year there was great uncertainty whether Le Dakar 2021 would even take place.
Big events like Formula 1 were cancelled, so why not Le Dakar?” Only 3 weeks (!!!) before having to ship the Team’s two vehicles from Marseille to Jeddah, the Team received word that its participation in Le Dakar 2021 had been approved and the rally would start. Short-notice, but Léon and the team had already taken this into account in their preparations. But above all, the message that Le Dakar 2021 would take place was highly appreciated. Knowing that the world was “in lock down”, the freedom of sand was more then welcome.
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Léon Jansen has been involved with the Dakar rally since 2003. From 2004 he has been reporting with the Dakar Press Team on the toughest rally in the world, Le Dakar. He has learned that the preparations for the rally, and of course the rally itself is an enormous challenge.
LEON JANSEN (NLD) DAKAR PRESS TEAM
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BORJA RODRIGUEZ (ESP) RUBEN RODRIGUEZ (ESP)
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PROLOGUE
JEDDAH JEDDAH Le Dakar 2021 started in Jeddah with an 11 kilometer special short course (Prologue) to determine the start line rankings for Stage 1. Just 30 kilometers outside of the City, bikers, riders and drivers reached the first sandy desert tracks, a taste of things to come. The desert is never far away in Saudi Arabia. 64 Cars, 61 lightweight vehicles (including 44 SSVs), 101 motorbikes, 16 quads and 44 trucks, a total of 286 vehicles lined up in Jeddah for the start of the 43rd edition of the Dakar Rally.
TIM & TOM CORONEL (NLD)
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Competitor numbers reached 498, all set for an 8000 kilometer journey through Saudi Arabia that would finish back in Jeddah just 12 very challenging days later.
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KEES KOOLEN (NLD) JURGEN VAN DEN GOORBERGH (NLD)
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FERNANDO ALVAREZ (ESP) ANTONIO GIMENO GARCÍA (ESP)
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PASCAL DE BAAR (NLD) JAN VAN DER VAET (BEL) STEFAN SLOOTJES (NLD)
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Maurik van den Heuvel (team Dakar Speed) made his return to the Dakar in 2021 after skipping the previous year to redesign and rebuilt his own truck.
MAURIK VAN DEN HEUVEL (NLD) WILKO VAN OORT (NLD) MARTIJN VAN ROOIJ (NLD)
Maurik’s previous Dakar outing was in 2019 with Team De Rooy, finishing tenth. Covid unfortunately interfered with team Dakar Speed’s abilit y to enter events in 2020 where it was planned to test the new International Scania Lonest ar DKR3 which sports a chassis, built by fellow Dakar competitor Martin Macik of Big Shock Racing fame. Workshop improvements and thorough testing in France and the Netherlands gave the Dakar Speed team enough information to enter Dakar 2021 with confidence.
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“In the Dakar we came tenth t wice and ninth once. All those years we have had too much trouble with bad luck. We were able to drive at a good pace but kept running into troubles with turbo hoses, an engine in emergency mode, you name it. Except the first year, when we finished fifteenth as a debut ant. So, to st ay out of trouble we have to change our t actics. I call it the “Hino st yle”. Keep on driving , but in our own pace and not faster than strictly necessar y. We want to do it that way, even knowing , that we have a fast truck with a lot of power.”
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RICHARD DE GROOT (NLD) JAN HULSEBOSCH (NLD) MARK LAAN (NLD)
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Richard de Groot: “When you are presented with the opportunit y to evolve the team by expanding with a high-end truck like this, which has proven its qualit y in the Dakar over the years, it shows the team ambitions are high. We have created a 3-to-5-year path of growth in order to maximise truck and team development. After all, the Iveco Powerst ar is capable of top 5 results. Despite the truck, we are not a high-end team like Team De Rooy (yet ;) . However fanatic and enthusiastic Dakar participants, we are a group of volunt ar y firemen. Finishing is and remains our main goal, but I can’t deny our aim is higher than in previous years. Historically we stopped a lot to help other teams, but this year, with this truck, the focus is more on the competition and achieving a good result. Our motto is ‘to go fast like the fire brigade’ and with the Iveco we will be even faster. Top 10 should be possible, but not at all cost.”
MITCHEL VAN DEN BRINK (NLD) RIJK MOUW (NLD) WILFRED SCHUURMAN (NLD) ALEXANDER KOOT (NLD) REMCO AANGEENBRUG (NLD) WESLEY VAN GRONINGEN (NLD)
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Left page (Firemen Dakar Team) Who doesn’t know a fire truck when they see one? The Firemen Dakar Team is both well-known and popular with Dakar rally followers. The team was sure to attract much more attention in Dakar 2021 with their new truck: an Iveco Powerst ar, dressed in the well-known colours of the Dutch fire brigade. Team owner and driver Richard de Groot, who st arted his Dakar career on a bike in 20 06, is joined in the cabin by co-pilot, and main mechanic, Jan Hulsebosch and navigator Mark Laan. 2021 was his first-year navigating , but he is also a valuable asset to the ser vice team and the leading force behind the hospit alit y truck and its trailer. Mark Laan is, of course, a fireman when not competing at the Dakar. The truck has been in the hands of Gerard de Rooy of Team De Rooy but it is the Firemen Dakar Team who, this year, put the Iveco through its paces.
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st age
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JEDDAH BISHA There was a heav y toll on competitors on the first real special of the Dakar due to the frantic pace being set. The speed, along with a confusion of tracks in the first part of the course got the best of riders such as Rick y Brabec. Any competitor who strayed from the path risked severe t yre damage from the rocks littering the tracks, as Sébastien Loeb can attest following his bitter experience in the south of the countr y. Competitors who emerged unscathed from these early hazards had time to relax somewhat on the first sandy section of the race which proved easier on their t yres, and their ner ves. It was a mixed bag of results for the defending champions. Rick y Brabec slipped 18 minutes to Toby Price after tot ally losing his bearings in the opening kilometres, leaving Price to claim his thirteenth career Dakar st age win. In the car categor y, Carlos Sainz seized victor y, which saw outsiders Martin Prokop and Mathieu Serradori finish third and fourth, respectively. In only the second time in Dakar histor y, a female driver took st age honours. Spanish dentist and rally raid driver, Cristina Gutiérrez and her T3 took the spoils in the light weight vehicle categor y. In the truck categor y, 2020 champion Andre Karginov lost over an hour-and-a-half when his radiator fan shattered, but Kamaz was unstoppable and t aking the reins of the general classification was Dmitr y Sotnikov. Quad rider Alexandre Giroud was the only winner of the prologue who extended his victorious streak on St age 1.
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TOBY PRICE (AUS)
ADAM TOMICZEK (POL)
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RICKY BRABEC (USA)
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STEFAN SVITKO (SVK)
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VAIDOTAS ZALA (LTU) PAULO FIUZA (PRT)
PASCAL RAUBER (FRA)
MATTHIAS WALKNER (AUT)
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XAVIER DE SOULTRAIT (FRA)
YAZEED AL RAJHI Please let us introduce the most flamboyant driver from Saudi Arabia; Yazeed al Rajhi, also known as Captain Yazeed. The Saudi businessman lives in Riyadh, the capital of KSA. Although his daily schedule is busy, he still manages to participate in local and international Rallies. After participating a few times in WRC with Ford Fiesta, Yazeed’s Dakar career started in 2015 with Toyota. His passion for rallying was quickly recognised by the international media, which earned him the name “Black Horse”, after winning the eighth stage in his debut. After two Dakar rallies, he decided to switch to MINI but in 2020 switched back to Toyota. “Each of the cars has its own advantages and both have their own competitors.”, according to Yazeed. In order for Yazeed to focus more on his business, and because of his acute interest in cross-country rallies, he made the change from WRC to Dakar. In the Dakar events of the future, there will be more focus on alternative power and low emission technology. Yazeed underlines the importance of this new focus. “For sure, in general, future mobility is developing especially in motorsport as it is evolving with global economic and industry trends in general!”.
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Yazeed’s first participation in the Dakar rally was in Latin America, which always attracted a big crowd. The first two Dakar rallies in Saudi Arabia, a large crowd of fans seems missing, but things are rapidly changing in the Kingdom. “Actually, there is a growing openness experienced by society in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the reason behind this is the ambitious 2030 vision that was planned by His Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the godfather of the vision. It’s a bold vision for an ambitious nation. And if we talk about sports, his highness has a personal interest in the smallest details of Saudi sport.
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It is one of the most important sectors of focus in this vision. Our beloved homeland is growing in leaps and bounds. I’m proud that we hosted Dakar 2021 for the second year in a row and will continue for many years ahead. We have hosted Dakar Rally, the Race of Champions, Formula E, and Extreme E as the first country in the Middle East, and now, we’re all waiting for Formula 1. All these events in our kingdom reinforce its position as the global home of motorsport. And for sure, Saudi Arabia is well known for off-road racing. We have a large and growing fan base for rallies as we have been hosting local events since 2006. And with many years to come of hosting Dakar Rally, many more people will embrace the race. It’s ultimately about getting people familiar with it.” Furthermore, I think the kingdom of Saudi Arabia has all kind of routes and terrain without exaggeration or any prejudice. The Kingdom has it all that any continent would have.” Said Yazeed Al Rajhi. Al Rajhi is obviously proud of KSA, he is keen for people to know that the country is as able as any to provide all types of terrain and racing routes. Saudi motorsport icon Yazeed Al Rajhi left a historical imprint in the second edition of the Dakar Rally; Dakar 2021, in Saudi Arabia after winning in stage 7 and stage 10 in his Toyota Hilux. With remarkable achievements at the homesoil international competition, Captain Yazeed becomes the first Saudi and Arab to win at home soil in his class and the youngest contestant to win a stage from Dakar 2021. “Dakar 2021 was a tough one for us, we have done our best although the tire dilemma we’ve faced. We drove perfectly and won two stages at home. I am proud of this achievement, and without the obstacles we faced, we would win Dakar 2021.”, according to Yazeed.
YAZEED AL RAJHI (SAU) DIRK VON ZITZEWITZ (DEU)
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MARCELO TIGLIA GASTALDI (BRA) LOURIVAL ROLDAN (BRA)
ALABDALALI SALEH (SAU) MOHAMMED ALNAIM (SAU)
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BERNHARD TEN BRINKE (NLD) TOM COLSOUL (BEL)
PHOTOCREDITS: MCH PHOTOGRAPHY
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ERIK VAN LOON (NLD) SÉBASTIEN DELAUNAY (FRA)
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SALEH ALSAIF (SAU) ORIOL VIDAL MONTIJANO (ESP)
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Left page (Saled Alsaif) Saleh Al Saif, is a driver from Ha’il with big ambitions. His season results have certainly boosted his moral, especially those claimed at his very own Baja Ha’il. The 43-year-old known as “Captain Saleh” bagged two consecutive wins there in the T3 class, eventually finishing 2nd in the FIA World Cup for cross-country bajas behind Russian Vasily Gryazin. For his second Dakar, Al Saif is again at the wheel of a Can-Am.
IGNACIO CASALE (CHL) ALVARO LEON (CHL) DAVID HOFFMANN (CZE)
Right page (Pearl & Gotlib) Also in an SSV is 61 year old legend from Belgium, Charly Gotlib! In 1987, he started his career on a Kawasaki 600 KLR motorbike. The year after, he switched to cars and competed in Le Dakar three times in a row as a pilot. Then Charly discovered that he was far more skilled in navigation, so he changed seats. But by far the most exciting Dakar experience for Charly has been in a truck. In 2006 he took a seat in the MAN truck with Hans Stacey, which turned out to be a very successful move. The year after, Hans Stacey won the Dakar rally, with Charly as his navigator.
But when ASO announced the 3rd chapter, his adventurous blood started to boil again. The 43st edition of Le Dakar, saw Charly navigating in a Can-Am SSV, showing the way for his pilot Danny Pearl. “The SSV is a very comfortable vehicle to drive. This year we mounted a windshield, which is a big improvement. “During my participation to the East European Cross Country Baja’s with my friend Gaby Abergel, I gained a lot of experience in the SSV category in anticipation for this year’s Dakar rally. And after 5 baja’s we won the 2019 championship”.
DANNY PEARL (BEL) CHARLY GOTLIB (BEL)
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After ten Dakar rallies in Latin America, Charly decided to end his Dakar career. At that moment, he had done 30 Dakar rallies!
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ERUPRESTIGE.NL
The Beast is the name that twin brothers Tim and Tom Coronel gave to their two-seater, 6.2 litre Chev-powered buggy, built by American Damen Jefferies. Both have previously competed in the Dakar solo - Tim’s first Dakar was in 2007 and Tom’s first foray was in 2009 but they have been together in The Beast since 2018 with Tim driving and Tom in the co-pilot seat. According to the brothers, Tom takes care of the details while the big-picture is Tim’s forté. In life, as they are in the Dakar, the brothers are a team.
The family business has several companies including a kart centre, indoor climbing wall, a gym and a social media company. The brothers are not afraid of doing things differently and meeting whatever challenges are thrown up at them. Tim Coronel: “Giving up is not in our dictionary, so we had to find other ways. Real life is no different to the Dakar… To be honest, the Corona crisis was not too bad for us. With all events cancelled, gyms closed, et cetera, all of a sudden, we had time to think about other ways and alternatives, but also
do some self-reflection, instead of running around in high speed like we are used to. One alternative is that Tom has been travelling to his races throughout Europe, once they commenced, with a campervan instead of by plane. I think the most important and positive side of the corona crisis has been that solidarity and fellowship became even more visible and more important than ever, also in our team. There was not much else to do but working on our Dakar project. The result is that our team is better prepared than ever, the car has improved, is more reliable and better in every detail.”
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TIM CORONEL (NLD) TOM CORONEL (NLD)
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GERT-JAN VAN DER VALK (NLD) BRANCO DE LANGE (NLD)
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JÉRÔME PÉLICHET (FRA) PASCAL LARROQUE (FRA)
ANTON SHIBALOV (RUS) DMITRII NIKITIN (RUS) IVAN TATARINOV (RUS)
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JAROSLAV VALTR (CZE) RADIM KAPLANEK (CZE) JAROSLAV MISKOLCI (SVK)
46 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 47 PRESS TEAM
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MAURIK VAN DEN HEUVEL (NLD) WILKO VAN OORT (NLD) MARTIJN VAN ROOIJ (NLD)
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WILLIAM VAN GRONINGEN (NLD) CO DE WIT (NLD) JACCO VAN GRONINGEN (NLD)
WILLIAM DE GROOT (NLD) MARCEL SNIJDERS (NLD) BART GLOUDEMANS (NLD)
48 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 49 PRESS TEAM
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RICHARD DE GROOT (NLD) JAN HULSEBOSCH (NLD) MARK LAAN (NLD)
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MIGUEL BRAVO (ESP) MARIANO BANDERAS (ESP)
50 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 51 PRESS TEAM
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PETER VAN VELZEN (NLD) PAUL LAS VAN BENNEKOM (NLD) POUL HENNING NIELSEN (DMK)
BISHA - WADI AD-DAWASIR The change in landscape is striking on leaving Bisha heading to the west of the countr y, towards Wadi Ad-Dawasir. Gone are the stony tracks that tested the competitors’ ner ves and tires in the previous st age. This time, sandy plateau played host to the first part of the special, before the riders and drivers were tested in the dunes. They had to be experts in this delicate art in order to t ackle the final section, with dunes broken up by the wind that had generously gusted over the region during the previous days.
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It was therefore not surprising that past-masters in sand such as Nasser Al-Attiyah in the car categor y or Joan Barreda in the bike race proved to be the quickest in this terrain.
52 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
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PIERRE CHERPIN (FRA)
FRANCESCO CATANESE (ITA)
DAKAR 53 PRESS TEAM
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TONI VINGUT (ESP)
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KHALID ALJAFLA (ARE) ALI MIRZA (ARE)
LEONARDO MARTINEZ (BOL)
TIZIANO INTERNO (ITA)
54 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
On the second day of racing , the riders and drivers sometimes hold back a little, meaning positions do not often change much.
LAISVYDAS KANCIUS (LTU)
GUILLAUME BARTHELEMY (FRA)
Such an approach is not for Joan Barreda, who, on the contrar y, has all too often shone on the first week of the rally at the risk of disappearing from the st andings prematurely. After st arting in 20th position, the Spaniard convincingly overtook the pack of riders as the day’s openers paid dearly for their hesit ation in the dunes: Toby Price and Kevin Benavides both lost half an hour, Mathias Walkner waved goodbye to 2 hours 30 and Andrew Short exited the race, let down by his machine. As for Nasser Al-Attiyah, he added a 37th special st age win to his collection, deploying a strategically precise plan, however Stéphane Peterhansel took over the reins at the top of the general st andings. A pitched battle took place in the light weight vehicle categor y, in which a new player emerged among the contenders for the crown: behind the wheel of his Can-Am, Saleh Al Sahif became the second Saudi st age winner on the Dakar, six years after Yazeed Al-Rajhi triumphed in the Chilean dunes around Iquique.
ERIK VAN LOON (NLD) SÉBASTIEN DELAUNAY (FRA)
DAKAR 55 PRESS TEAM
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In the truck race, Dmitri Sotnikov appeared to t ake on the role of team leader for Kamaz. He won a second consecutive st age and now leads the general st andings by 17 minutes ahead of Belarussian Sarhei Viazovich.
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ISIDRE ESTEVE PUJOL (ESP) TXEMA VILLALOBOS (ESP)
56 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
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DAKAR 57 PRESS TEAM
JUAN MIGUEL FIDEL MEDERO (ESP) VICTOR GONZALEZ (ESP)
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SHEIKH KHALID AL QASSIMI (ARE) XAVIER PANSERI (FRA)
58 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
LIONEL BAUD (FRA) LOIC MINAUDIER (FRA)
DAKAR 59 PRESS TEAM
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BRIAN BARAGWANATH (ZAF) TAYE PERRY (ZAF)
REINALDO VARELA (BRA) MAYKEL JUSTO (BRA)
FRANCISCO LOPEZ CONTARDO (CHL) JUAN PABLO LATRACH VINAGRE (CHL)
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MICHAEL PISANO (FRA) MAX DELFINO (FRA)
NICOLAS BRABECK-LETMATHE (AUT) BRUNO BONY (FRA)
60 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
ANTON SHIBALOV (RUS) DMITRII NIKITIN (RUS) IVAN TATARINOV (RUS)
DAKAR 61 PRESS TEAM
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IGNACIO CASALE (CHL) ALVARO LEON (CHL) DAVID HOFFMANN (CZE)
DISASTER STRIKES “Both our Volkswagen Amarok and Volkswagen T6 4Motion had been thoroughly modified in the run-up to the rally. Never before had we spent so much time, money and energy on making our Volkswagens technically ready.” said Léon Jansen of the Dakar Press Team. With the rally in sight, notification from the rally organiser ASO was, that very strict attention would be paid to respecting the “sanitary bubble”, which was designed to prevent a COVID infection among the Dakar rally participants. Additionally, the obligatory technical inspection of the vehicles, which normally takes place in Europe before embarkation, was now planned to take place in Jeddah. “So, we now had to change our plans and get both of the vehicles to Marseille” At midnight on the 4th of December, Léon Jansen and fellow Dakar Press Team member, Peter van Velzen began the journey to Marseille where the cars would be loaded and shipped to Saudi Arabia.
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Everything went well, until around 5 o’clock in the morning with the port in sight, the sound of a falling metal part was heard from the front of the T6. A short time later, the battery warning light activated and when turning into the slip road to a petrol station, the power steering stopped working. “We immediately phoned Volkswagen Service Nederland. They told us that we first had to contact the local French breakdown service because we were on a toll road which meant that according to French regulations our Dutch service agent was not permitted to attend the breakdown. It was a freezing cold morning but thankfully we didn’t have to wait long before the ADR Sud Est breakdown service arrived and the T6 was loaded onto a tow truck and taken to a remote site.”
62 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
On arrival at the deserted site, Volkswagen Service Nederland was contacted again. As the deadline for the embarkation of the Dakar rally vehicles from Marseille was only five hours away, a solution was hastily sought. A quick repair through the French Volkswagen network did not seem to be the solution and the ship to Saudi Arabia was not to be missed. Jan Willem Smit of Volkswagen Service Nederland came up with a bold solution. He advised us to put the T6 back on the Dépannage truck and drive quickly to the port of Marseille – and arrangements will be made to undertake the repair in Jeddah. “This we did, and both the Amarok and T6 were delivered for embarkation within the deadline.” A thorough analysis of the problem was not possible, due to the lack of a ramp. The underside of the T6 is protected by an 8 mm thick aluminium floor protection plate which cannot be removed hastily.
In consultation with Volkswagen commercial vehicle dealer Muntstad, with limited information available, it was decided that the problem was likely due to a malfunctioning of the multi belt. The parts were ordered and despatched straight to Jeddah. Leon and Peter then returned home to Holland to await flights to Saudi Arabia but not before a pulse quickening and stressful commute to the train station to board one of the very few trains left travelling to Holland due to COVID-19 transport restrictions. “We made it with only half an hour to spare!” A few weeks later, the time had come to depart for Saudi Arabia. However, due to COVID-19, Saudi Arabia had closed their airspace and the tension amongst the team became palpable, making it to Le Dakar 2021 seemed to include an ever-increasing set of hurdles. ASO arranged a specially chartered flight but it was leaving from Paris and so the team had to purchase tickets and then make arrangements to travel by private Multivan to Charles De Gaulle airport. However, they were one ticket short for the team.
VW SUPPORT HEROES
And as if the stresses of the last few days and weeks hadn’t been enough, just before departure, team captain Léon Jansen received a message that both his parents were infected with COVID-19 and that, given their age and condition, this could prove fatal in the near future. In the meantime, Volkswagen Service Nederland had arranged for the Amarok and T6 to be picked up at the port of Jeddah for transport to the Volkswagen dealer Samaco. Immediately a diagnosis was made in the workshop and the problem, of course, turned out to be a lot worse than expected. The bolts of the crankshaft pulley had broken off, something that rarely happens. And yes, the Transporter (T6) is not sold in Saudi Arabia, so such parts are not available in the country.
In consultation with Er win van Hekken of Muntstad and Volkswagen Service Nederland, just before New Year’s Eve, it was decided to fly the part in via DHL. According to the logistics company, the part should arrive by January 2 at the latest, just in time for the repair and inspection to be carried out before the Dakar rally start on January 3.
Both the T6 and the Amarok were approved for participation in the rally and provided with a starting permit. The crew in the Amarok with Paul Las van Bennekom, Peter van Velzen and Poul Henning Nielsen could start, while Michael van der Putten and Léon Jansen could return to the Crown Town hotel, waiting for the repairs to be carried out on the T6.
But as it would happen, a great deal of perseverance and patience were still needed! The Saudi customs officials were not at all inclined to speed up the procedure – even though there was an extremely tight deadline. It was also very unclear when the package (which had already arrived) would actually be released. The T6 still had yet to be officially inspected after the repairs had been completed.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Muntstad and Volkswagen Service Nederland were busy getting the part released. Not an easy task, as both DHL and the Saudi customs seemed to have little empathy with the Team’s urgency. The fantastic effort made by the two of them and the time pressure under which they had to act, earned them the nickname VW Support Heroes. Hands up for Er win, Jan Willem, Reinier, Elida, Abdul, Bob and Ralph!
“The rally organiser ASO was unrelenting in this. If the T6 was not presented at the technical inspection on 2 January, the team would not be allowed to participate in Le Dakar 2021. We needed options, and it was decided to place the T6 onto a transport truck and travel the 60 kilometres to the King Abdullah Sport Stadium. ASO had never experienced anything like this before, but the inspectors were happy with our creative solution.”
A message was received from DHL on the 6th of January that they can finally release the crankshaft pulley. Samaco immediately starts the repair, which is completed the same day. Could the rally really start now?
DAKAR 63 PRESS TEAM
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Team Member, photographer Poul Henning Nielsen had been unsure whether or not he would make it from Denmark. He eventually made it to Paris to join the team, but it was still uncertain that Poul would have a seat on the chartered aircraft. The team arrived at the airport and with only 30-minutes to go before the gates closed, ASO contacted the team to advise that one ticket had become available and Poul would be able to join the team on the flight!
For the T6, yes, but unfortunately that same day it turns out that the Amarok’s clutch burnt out. The 3 P’s in the Amarok are in the middle of the desert between Bisha and Wadi Ad-Dawasir. With some care, they manage to get the Amarok on the tarmac. When accelerating, the clutch slipped and very carefully they managed to move the heavy pick-up. The 3 P’s start the journey to Riyadh, where Volkswagen Samaco also has a workshop. After a trip of 600 kilometres, they manage to reach the dealership. But unfortunately, a new clutch plate, is not in stock in Saudi Arabia either. After all, in this country automatic transmissions are the norm (of course!).
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In consultation with the VW Support Heroes, it is decided to fly the part to Riyadh. But this time, not with the help of a logistics partner. Instead, it is decided to take the parts as hold luggage on a plane. Bob Hommersen, a (very good) friend of the Dakar Press Team offers to take on the adventure of getting the part to where it needed to be. A PCR test is arranged, and the flight ticket is booked. A Visa can be arranged upon arrival at the airport of Riyadh, so that is not an immediate concern.
64 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
But unfortunately, due to a conflict between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, it is feared that Bob might be stranded at Istanbul airport. The lady at Turkish Airlines is implacable and it is decided the better option is to book a new ticket for a direct flight that would leave a day later. As a precaution, a visa is quickly booked via the official site of the Saudi government to prevent further holdups when Bob arrives in Saudi.
He too is not allowed into the country, but he does speak the language. In Arabic, the man manages to persuade Customs to cooperate in getting Bob’s suitcase across the border and hand it over to the 3Ps. After all, it is for the Dakar rally and the officer understands the importance of this. The parts go to the workshop, while Bob has to stay behind at the airport for 4 days, before he can fly back home safely.
Meanwhile, Léon and Michael have begun their Dakar rally adventure, travelling from Jeddah to Ha’il; a trip of over 800 kilometres. It remains to be seen whether the pair will make it into the overnight bivouac, as strictly speaking they have left the “sanitary bubble”.
The Amarok is then repaired and can continue on its way to Ha’il. Another seven stages follow before the men in the Amarok and the T6 can drive towards the finish of Le Dakar 2021. It turns out that “Murphy” has been left behind in Riyadh, and after a very exciting adventure the two Volkswagens are delivered back to the port of Jeddah, for return transport to Marseille.
On 8 January, Bob landed in Riyadh, with a suitcase full of new parts. In the meantime, the Dutch embassy was notified, should there be any complications at customs. The Team’s concerns proved to be well-founded. Upon arrival, all nonSaudi’s are refused entry to the country, due to COVID-19 measures. So there stands Bob with his suitcase full of parts, less than 50 metres away from the 3Ps. In Bob’s plane is a passenger who hasn’t seen his mother for about 9 years and had seized the opportunity to visit her in Riyadh.
“A rough journey that would have been impossible without the dedicated support of the VW Support Heroes; Muntstad, Volkswagen (Commercial Vehicles) Service Nederland, Samaco, our very good friend Bob and last but not least our Arabic speaking friend at Riyadh airport!”
DAKAR 65 PRESS TEAM
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WAITING FOR THE AMAROK TO BE REPAIRED AT SAMACO IN RIYADH
WADI ADDAWASIR WADI ADDAWASIR
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Altitude has very little effect on the temperature in Saudi Arabia. The riders and crews competed for most of the 403-km special at approximately 1,000 metres above sea level, but the vast plateaux that stretched out to the horizon did not provoke vertigo like the mountains can. However, the wind that continued to gust over the region transformed the dunes dotted about the first part of the route into steep steps that caught out a number of competitors. As it blew over the desert, it also removed any traces that may have pointed to the existence of tracks, sowing the seeds of doubt in the minds of many navigators.
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Story of Pablo & Raul Ever since we were little, both my co-pilot Raul and I had dreamed of one day competing in the Dakar. It has been a very hard Dakar, with many more stones than expected, but our determination and perseverance has allowed us to overcome the complications that we encountered at each stage. In the second last stage we suffered an accident in the dunes. But thanks to our assistance car, we managed to make repairs and travelled 90 km through the dunes at night. We arrived at the bivouac at 6:30 in the morning with only two hours to complete repairs to the car and rest. It wasn’t until we were on the podium in Jeddah that we realised what an amazing feat we had achieved. Hopefully we can come back next year and enjoy this wonderful adventure called Le Dakar, said Pablo.
66 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 67 PRESS TEAM
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PABLO OLIVAS (ESP) RAUL ORTIZ (ESP)
BERNHARD TEN BRINKE (NLD) TOM COLSOUL (BEL)
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PHOTOCREDITS: MCH PHOTOGRAPHY Today we st arted with lots of energy. The first part was difficult, with a lot of trail sections. We didn’t get any punctures at all, so we were doing good. Then we arrived at the big dunes. My navigator Tom did a really good job. At the naturalization point it seems that we were in the top 4, so after this I really pushed hard.
68 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
About 40 kilometers before the finish line, we drove on a nice piste. The roadbook didn’t mention any danger at all. It was a fast track in a straight line, and we were doing 160 km/ph. Suddenly there were three ditches and in a split second, we had 4 rolls. We had
a big im-pact in the front of the car, the left wheel was separated, and the chassis was bent. Due to the good structure of the Toyot a Hilux, Tom and I kept unharmed, but the race is over.
DAKAR 69 PRESS TEAM
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MARTIN VAN DEN BRINK (NLD) WOUTER DE GRAAFF (NLD) DANIEL KOZLOVSKY (CZE)
PETER VAN VELZEN (NLD)
After a heav y crash in the third st age, the Firemen Dakar Team was forced to abandon the rally. The truck overturned at high speed. After rolling over four times, the Iveco Powerst ar came to a st andstill. The third special st arted off incredibly well again. So good, in fact, that the aspired top 10 ranking actually seemed realistic. “According to the road book, all we had to do was go straight on for 7.2 kilometres, without any obst acles or peculiarities worth mentioning . However, the next step we encountered was not mentioned and then it went wrong . Bad mist ake.”
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“We regret to inform you that we have crashed and for us the Dakar 2021 is officially over,” the unfortunate crew announced via Facebook. “Richard, Jan and Mark have been transported by helicopter from the crash site to the medical centre at the bivouac for a check-up. There they will be further examined for possible injuries. At the moment, some team members are with them and have informed us that they walked under their own steam from the helicopter to the medical centre. The team is obviously ver y disappointed that the rally ends on st age 3, but they are relieved that Richard, Jan and Mark are in good hands at the medical centre.”
70 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
FIREMEN DAKAR TEAM
DAKAR 71 PRESS TEAM
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RICHARD DE GROOT (NLD) JAN HULSEBOSCH (NLD) MARK LAAN (NLD)
WADI ADDAWASIR RIYADH Stage 4 of this year’s Rally, Wadi Ad-Dawasir to Riyadh, included a link section that was on tracks, not tarmac, providing competitors the unfettered opportunity to test their top speeds in a vast countryside that was not unlike the winding tracks of the Ténéré from the Dakar rally of years gone by. Adding to the nostalgia for the veterans, competitors were on the look-out for a course change after reaching a lone tree, reminiscent of the iconic ‘Ténéré Tree’. Fast times were set on the stage. Nasser Al-Attiyah is setting an average speed of almost 130km per hour for the stage.
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In the second link sector however, the desert landscapes were left behind and replaced by suburbia as the race neared Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia.
72 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
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The stage from Wadi Ad-Dawasir to Riyadh will be an experience well-remembered for Paul Spierings. During the ride, he came across a motorcyclist who had crashed shortly before at high speed. It turns out to be Santosh, from India, who lies lifeless next to his motorbike. “The stage started in the morning at high speed with all white sand and here and there some white stones. The wind had blown the sand over the stones in some places. This made the surface difficult to read, so I slowed down a bit. A little before the refueling stop I let some guys pass, to avoid riding in their dust, which gave me better visibility.”
RESCUING A FELLOW BIKER
“One and a half kilometers after the refueling stop, I saw two motorbikes lying with the riders next to them. One rider quickly got up but the other, Santosh, lay lifeless on the ground. I immediately pressed the button for assistance and started resuscitating. When the medics arrived, I felt the pulse again and that was a great relief for me.” says Paul. Several tragic incidents have made him, but especially his relatives, think. The motorcyclist from Brabant is certainly not afraid; he knows the risks and vulnerability of a motorcyclist.
PAUL SPIERINGS (NLD)
DAKAR 73 PRESS TEAM
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“On the motorbike I have done three great Dakar rallies and finished all three with a great result. I am very proud of all the people who helped me with the Dakar adventure and am now ready for a new challenge on four wheels in Le Dakar”.
RODRIGUEZ BROTHERS Borja Rodríguez made his Dakar debut in 2020 in Saudi Arabia, as co-pilot to experienced rally driver Joan Font, with whom he finished 54th. For this 2021 edition, Borja sat I the driver’s seat of a Toyota Land Cruiser T1, while his brother Rubén Rodríguez navigated. Racing is a family affair for them. Their father Vicente Rodríguez, owner of a mechanic shop regularly took his boys to rallies when they were children. Both remember the start of the Dakar in Spanish city of Granada, back in 1995. In addition to winning the Cup 180 in 2016 and 2017, the Rodríguez brothers won the T5 category of the Spanish All-Terrain Rally Championship in 2018. In 2019 they competed in the Sin Fronteras Challenge in Morocco, adding to their desert expertise and proving their mastery of navigation. For Dakar 2021, the “Automotor 4x4 competición” team rebuilt from scratch a Toyota HDJ80 race version in the family’s “Automator 4x4” facilities in Águilas (Murcia), where the Rodríguez family lives.
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The team was confident of a good performance and of reaching the finish line of the Dakar 2021. This confidence was built on the very positive preliminary tests of the car in severe conditions, their proven desert racing experience and the professional expertise of the FN Speed Team. Their confidence turned out to be well founded, finishing the event in 45th position. The Rodríguez brothers, Borja and Ruben put all their effort into fulfilling their life dream: to not only compete in the toughest rally in the World, the Dakar Rally, but to finish the event with a home-made vehicle prepared with minimum economic means.
74 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
HENK LATEGAN (ZAF) BRETT CUMMINGS (ZAF)
RIYADH AL QUISUMAH
st age
5 Wadis, valleys and jebels, a sprinkling of rocks and servings of dunes and plateau’s – this is Saudi Arabia. Spectacular and admired by competitors along the way from Riyadh to Al Qaisumah in between focusing on their roadbooks and maintaining speed. Unfortunately, though, sometimes even the best of competitor is likely to be distracted and the end result bites! A number of top competitors paid the price including bike riders Joan Barreda and Daniel Sanders as well as Stéphane Peterhansel and Nasser Al Attiyah in the car category, all losing time.
SAEED ALMOURI (SAU) SERGIO LAFUENTE (URU)
DAKAR 75 PRESS TEAM
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BORJA RODRIGUEZ (ESP) RUBEN RODRIGUEZ (ESP)
RIYADH C A P I TA L OF KSA
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Riyadh is an ancient cit y with deep roots in the heart of histor y. The nucleus of the current cit y of Riyadh was formed in the t welfth Hijri centur y from a group of villages (Maakal, Muqrin, Al-Oud and others). In the past, the surrounding area of the vast land excist of gardens and orchards, the area on which it is based. The cit y today witnessed human existence about a quarter of a million years ago. There is also evidence displayed in the National Museum in Riyadh, that this region was inhabited by people about thirt y thousand years ago. The historical origins of the city of Riyadh The oldest recorded historical references on the histor y of the region on which the cit y of Riyadh was est ablished goes back to 715 BC, indicating the existence of a cit y on that date called “Hajjar” that was the capit al of the “Al-Yamamah” region, which included Al-Ardh, Al-Hout a, AlHariq, Sudair, Al-Mahmal, Al-Kharj, Al-Aflaj, and others. Historians say that the cit y of Al-Hajar was located bet ween Wadi Al-Wat ar (known today as Al-Batha) and Wadi Al-Ardh (known as Wadi Hanifa). ), until it came to the town of Manfouha.
76 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
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78 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
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AL QUISUMAH - HA’IL For a long time, the crossroads of trade routes bet ween the countr y’s main cities, Ha’il is in the heart of Saudi Arabia. Passionate enthusiasts have made Ha’il the goto capit al for all-terrain rallying over the past decade, contributing to the development of the sport in the countr y. If you are wondering why Ha’il has earned its reput ation, the answer lies in the terrain of course. Sand, sand and more sand. This is dune countr y and t aming the shifting sands is, for enthusiasts and Dakar competitors alike, not an easy t ask.
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While rain occasionally falls, making the terrain a little less daunting , riders and drivers still in the rally cert ainly deser ved their up-coming rest day.
80 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
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DAKARFUTURE
Together with MKR Technology, ZF developed the hybrid drivetrain. The core is a special prototype of the ZF E-axle. This so called CeTrax Lite RS provides an additional 80 kW continuous power, 150 kW peak power and 1,400 Nm of torque as needed. The team’s main sponsor is one of the most innovative Dutch recycling companies, Riwald Recycling run by Gert (driver) and Ewald Huzink (team manager). At the fore-front of Riwald Recycling’s business mantra are sustainability, innovation and social responsibility. The business recycles ferrous and nonferrous metals in a sustainable, cleaner and professional manner with the aim of reusing 100% of recycled materials released into modern economies. The development of the hybrid Renault rally truck fits seamlessly with the Huzink brothers’ business philosophy.
The Dakar rally organization is demonstrating its pioneering spirit by launching the ambitious “#DakarFuture” energy transition plan. This gradual energy transition has two main arms: the engines powering the cars and trucks in the race and the emissions related to the logistics of the organization. The Dakar is determined to fully exploit its role as an open-air lab to stimulate, test and validate the technical advances made by the companies in the knowledge that the race vehicles of today are the production vehicles of tomorrow. As soon as 2022, a specific “alternative energy” category will be created that will focus on competitors racing in hybrid, electric or hydrogen-powered cars and trucks, as well as those who implement other emission-slashing technologies. The sporting rules will be adjusted to strike the right balance and make sure every project is competitive. In 2026, all elite competitors in the car and truck categories of the Dakar will be required to enter the race with vehicles that meet new ultra-low emission standards. The development of these technologies is expected to enable amateur competitors to procure vehicles that meet the same standards in order to sign up for the Dakar from 2030. In 2030, both car and truck categories will fully be powered by alternative energy with zero emission. As important as it is, fostering the evolution of the vehicles in the Dakar Rally will not be the only leap forward in the use of clean energy sources.
GERT HUZINK (NLD) ROB BUURSEN (NLD) MARTIN ROESINK (NLD)
DAKAR 81 PRESS TEAM
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The Riwald Rally Team has developed a hybrid Renault rally truck, together with MKR Technology, supported by innovation partners ZF, Renault Trucks, Hendrickson, AxleTech and Eurol. The Renault C460 Hybrid competed in the 2020 edition of the Dakar and competed this year again, celebrating 10-years of competition in the Dakar. The truck is lightweight but together with the 700kg of hybrid technology on board, the Renault reached the ASO mandated weight of 8.5 Tonnes in order to compete in the highest class.
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82 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
REST DAY HA’IL When rest day arrived halfway through the rally, only 15 minutes separated the top 10 bike riders after a full week of racing . Results showed that as many as a dozen riders were still in with a shot at the top spot on the podium. In thirteenth place overall, defending champion Rick y Brabec was only 19-minutes down on the leader. Heading into the decisive second week of racing it is imperative that riders minimize their navigation errors while being super careful of their limited supply of t yres. 2016 and 2019 Dakar champion, Australian Toby Price, is in control of the general st andings. The KTM rider st ayed cool and poised throughout a series of specials in which navigation turned up the heat on competitors. In the cars, 3-time Dakar winner Carlos Sainz paid the price for navigation errors which pushed him down the general st andings into third place. Victor y is never guaranteed, especially when only a short t wo minutes separates him from the fast and aggressive driving of rival Nasser Al Attiyah.
page left: #125 FRÉDÉRIC BARLERIN (FRA) #089 GABOR SAGHMEISTER (SRB) #142 MAURIZIO GERINI (ITA) page right: #076 ROMAN KREJCI (CZE) #079 AMAURY BARATIN (FRA)
DAKAR 83 PRESS TEAM
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Counting on a miracle after losing over an hour and a half to a mechanical issue in St age 1, Kamaz driver Andrey Karginov is unlikely to ret ain his 2020 title. In the meantime, however, fellow Kamaz driver Dmitr y Sotnikov and his crew stepped up and have st amped their mark on the race, t aking over from teammate Karginov.
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ERIK VAN LOON (NLD SÉBASTIEN DELAUNAY (FRA)
84 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
#331 VICTOR KHOROSHAVSEV (RUS) ANTON NIKOLAEV (RUS)
DAKAR 85 PRESS TEAM
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IMPRESSIVE BUREKO 6X6
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ROB BUURSEN (NLD)
RIWALD DAKAR TEAM 86 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 87 PRESS TEAM
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STEFAN SLOOTJES (NLD)
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88 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 89 PRESS TEAM
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MAMMOET RALLYSPORT
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TEAM SUGAWARA
90 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
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DAKAR 91 PRESS TEAM
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92 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 93 PRESS TEAM
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FIREMEN DAKAR TEAM
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DUST WARRIORS
94 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 95 PRESS TEAM
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TEAM DE GROOT
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CORONEL DAKAR TEAM
96 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 97 PRESS TEAM
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Michael van de Puten is doing an interview with Tim Coronel
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DAKAR CLASSIC
98 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
#201 EMMANUEL EGGERMONT (BEL) EDOUARD DE BRAEKELEER (BEL) #204 BENOIT CALLEWAERT (BEL) GHISLAIN MOREL (BEL) #212 STEPHAN LAMARRE (FRA) BENJAMIN LAROCHE (FRA)
AMY LERNER (USA) SARA CARMEN BOSSAERT (BEL)
#210 ANTONIO GUTIERREZ (ESP) LUIS HERAS RODRIGUEZ (ESP) CARLOS VENTO SANCHEZ (ESP) JUAN CARLOS RAMIREZ MOURE (ESP)
DAKAR 99 PRESS TEAM
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#211
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100 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
#252 MIQUEL ANGEL BOET (ESP) ALEXANDRE RABELL (ESP) #214
ANDRES VIDAL (ESP) PERE MAIMI CODINA (ESP)
#215 JUAN LLOPIS (ESP) FRANCESC XAVIER GUILLEM COROMINES (ESP)
DAKAR 101 PRESS TEAM
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#200 IGNACIO CORCUERA (ESP) IKER SAN VICENTE LAURENT (ESP)
W IT HOUT HISTORY NO FUTURE How wonderful it is to go back in time once in a while. The rich history of the Dakar rally, which started on 26 December 1978 from the Place du Trocadéro in Paris, offers many great stories and has given rise to many legends. The Dutch legend, Jan de Rooy is unmistakably one of them. The iconic entrepreneur from Brabant started his first Dakar rally adventure in 1982 in a DAF NTT2800 (nicknamed “The Nose”), and immediately won the truck ranking on his first participation. From that moment on Jan de Rooy is infected with the Dakar virus and will take part in Le Dakar no less than 14 times.
DAF Museum Eindhoven (The Netherlands)
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Next year’s Dakar rally will see the return of two very special rally trucks, that Jan de Rooy used to drive the Dakar rally. The introduction of the Classic Dakar has stirred up a lot of enthusiasm among the legendary participants. Who doesn’t remember the television images from 1987, in which Jan de Rooy in the 10,000-kilogram DAF Turbotwin II regularly overtook rally cars at high speed?
Workshop Team de Rooy
102 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
2-HEADED MONSTER & THE BULL
Wuf van Ginke and Corné van Drunen restoring the Two Headed Monter
In 1984, De Rooy steers through the desert in the “Two-headed Monster”. The DAF F3300 4x4 is equipped with two engines. One under each cabin. In the front is a DAF DKX 1160 diesel engine with 420 HP, while the engine in the back delivers 340 HP. Both engines are equipped with Turbo and Intercooler. Switching gears is a particular challenge, as both engines have separate gearboxes. De Rooy dropped out in 1984 due to technical problems. The two-headed monster is being completely in-house and prepared in its original participation in the Classic 2022.
In 1985 team De Rooy built another new DAF truck, also based on an F3300 4x4. The technical data of “Two Headed Monster” and “The Bull” are very similar. The shape resembles a bull, which became the nickname of this rally truck. The German team of Karl Friedrich Capito and Jost Capito pilot their Mercedes-Benz Unimog U 1300 L to victory in the truck class, while De Rooy finishes in 2nd Place. For many years “The Bull” stands in the DAF-museum in Eindhoven (The Netherlands).
DAKAR 103 PRESS TEAM
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CORNE VAN DRUNEN (NLD)
currently restored state for Dakar in
HA’IL SAKAKA Navigation was a race maker or breaker and for competitors having to open the way on each st age, it invariably had a massive impact on their day’s performance. Top riders like Toby Price and Joan Barreda were no exception. W inning the previous day’s st age was a poisoned chalice for Rick y Brabec as he led out on St age 7. Ignacio Cornejo proved his navigation abilities were better on the day and took the overall lead in the bikes. Argentinian quad bike rider, Nicolás Cavigliasso was unfortunately forced out of the race due to a mechanical issue, allowing Manuel Andújar to t ake control of the general st andings by more than 20 minutes over Alexandre Giroud and Giovanni Enrico.
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Scoring the fastest time in Sakakah was a goal that Yazeed Al-Rajhi achieved for himself and in the general st andings, the top t wo competitors – Stéphane Peterhansel and Nasser Al Attiyah were careful not to push their vehicles too hard ahead of the second part of the marathon st age. Peterhansel finished ahead but meant that he would have to lead out – a situation that suited Al Attiyah on his chase to the podium. “Chaleco” López claimed his third st age win in the light weight vehicle categor y, propelling him up to fourth place overall, but still 25 minutes behind the leader, Pole Aron Domżała. Charging through for a fourth victor y in the trucks, Dmitr y Sotnikov increased his lead over teammate Anton Shibalov to over 45 minutes.
104 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
st age
7
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DAKAR 105 PRESS TEAM
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#98 SARA GARCIA (ESP) #99 JAVIER VEGA PUERTA (ESP)
106 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
SUANY MARTINEZ (BOL)
DAKAR 107 PRESS TEAM
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SAM SUNDERLAND (GBR)
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# 2 PABLO QUINTANILLA (CHL) #12 XAVIER DE SOULTRAIT (FRA) #108 MARC CALMET (ESP)
108 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 109 PRESS TEAM
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# 36 JAN BRABEC (CZE) #163 PABLO COPETTI (USA)
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#15 LORENZO SANTOLINO (ESP) #47 KEVIN BENAVIDES (ARG)
110 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 111 PRESS TEAM
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LUCIANO BENAVIDES (ARG)
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#25 PAUL SPIERINGS (NLD) #74 JAUME BETRIU (ESP)
112 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 113 PRESS TEAM
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#22 MACIEJ GIEMZA (POL) #150 NICOLAS CAVIGLIASSO (ARG)
(Right page) Competing for the 11th straight year, 35 yearold Laia Sanz is a living legend of the Dakar Rally. Added to this astonishing record, Laia has completed ever y Dakar event she has entered, has won the female rider categor y in each of the past 10 races and her career-best finish was in 2015 where she finished in 9th position. After t aking a fall in the early st ages of the 2020 Dakar and again in the Andaluscia Rally late last year, Laia was not at full strength for the 2021 competition.
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“I always imagine myself in the top 15, but this time I won’t arrive in top form.”
FREEZING COLD FOR THE STARTING MOTORCYCLISTS
114 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 115 PRESS TEAM
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#44 LAIA SANZ (ESP)
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BINGLONG LU (CHN) WENKE MA (CHN)
MATHIEU SERRADORI (FRA) FABIAN LURQUIN (BEL)
116 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
GERARD FARRES GUELL (ESP) ARMAND MONLEON (ESP)
DAKAR 117 PRESS TEAM
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EDVINAS JUSKAUSKAS (LTU) AISVYDAS PALIUKENAS (LTU)
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SERGEI KARIAKIN (RUS) ANTON VLASIUK (RUS)
KEES KOOLEN (NLD) JURGEN VAN DEN GOORBERGH (NLD)
118 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
JEREMIE WARNIA (FRA) STEVEN GRIENER (GBR)
DAKAR 119 PRESS TEAM
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GAEL QUERALT (ESP) JUAN SILVA (ARG)
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SEBASTIAN GUAYASAMIN (ECU) RICARDO ADRIAN TORLASCHI (ARG)
PHILIPPE PINCHEDEZ (FRA) VINCENT FERRI (FRA)
120 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
TIM CORONEL (NLD) TOM CORONEL (NLD)
DAKAR 121 PRESS TEAM
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DANNY PEARL (BEL) CHARLY GOTLIB (BEL)
ALIAKSEI VISHNEUSKI (BLR) MAKSIM NOVIKAU (BLR) SIARHEI SACHUK (BLR)
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GERT HUZINK (NLD) ROB BUURSEN (NLD) MARTIN ROESINK (NLD)
122 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
MARTIN VAN DEN BRINK (NLD) WOUTER DE GRAAFF (NLD) DANIEL KOZLOVSKY (CZE)
DAKAR 123 PRESS TEAM
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MARTIN MACIK (CZE) FRANTISEK TOMASEK (CZE) DAVID SVANDA (CZE)
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IGNACIO CASALE (CHL) ALVARO LEON (CHL) DAVID HOFFMANN (CZE)
124 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 125 PRESS TEAM
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PASCAL DE BAAR (NLD) JAN VAN DER VAET (BEL) STEFAN SLOOTJES (NLD)
MIGUEL URANO BRAVO & 4POR4 MARIANO TEAM BANDERAS
Spanish amateur team, Miguel Bravo (Pilot) and Mariano Banderas (copilot) have participated in National and International offroad navigation championships and rally raids but had never before competed in Le Dakar. After several tests in Morocco, and thanks to the pair’s sponsors, they took the leap and managed to register for the Dakar 2021 rally in Saudi Arabia with a 1996 Toyota HDJ80 24V, prepared according to FIA Regulations. According to Miguel, the support they have received has been crucial. “To take the start we have relied on the experience and logistics of FNSPEED, and mechanical assistance AUTOMOTOR4X4 has been in charge of the set-up of the Toyota before and during the race.” The race wasn’t easy, however.
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“A breakdown in the second stage forced us to utilise the “Joker-Second Chance” rule, and although it was in the general classification, we managed to finish the following stages recovering positions step by step.” In the 9th stage the Toyota suffered several breakdowns managing to finish the stage with front-wheel drive only, making it impossible for the Bravo and Banderas pair to start Stage 10 and consequently withdrew from Le Dakar 2021. But there’s always next year! “We will work to be able to take the DSS in the DAKAR 2022 edition.”
126 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
ALEX AGUIRREGAVIRIA (ESP) FRANCESC SALISI (ESP) PAU NAVARRO (ESP)
DAKAR 127 PRESS TEAM
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MIGUEL BRAVO (ESP) MARIANO BANDERAS (ESP)
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MITCHEL VAN DEN BRINK (NLD) RIJK MOUW (NLD) WILFRED SCHUURMAN (NLD)
128 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
WILLIAM VAN GRONINGEN (NLD) CO DE WIT (NLD) JACCO VAN GRONINGEN (NLD)
KRISTEN MATLOCK (USA) MAX EDDY JR. (USA)
CHRISTOPHE CRESP (FRA) SERGE HENNINOT (FRA)
DAKAR 129 PRESS TEAM
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JAN TOMANEK (CZE) TOMAS KASPAREK (CZE) JIRI STROSS (CZE)
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LÉON JANSEN (NLD) MICHAEL VAN DER PUTTEN (NLD)
130 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 131 PRESS TEAM
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PETER VAN VELZEN (NLD) PAUL LAS VAN BENNEKOM (NLD) POUL HENNING NIELSEN (DMK)
TRAGEDY OF PIERRE CHERPIN Passionate about wide open spaces, Pierre Cherpin was participating in his fourth Dakar. His initial participation was in 20 09, when the Dakar took place for the first time in Latin America. Pierre signed up in the “malle moto” categor y, returned in 2012 in the same categor y and completed the race both times. In 2015 he signed up again, however due to engine failure, was forced to withdraw. Six years later, in 2021, he joined the same categor y, but we now know it as the “Original by Motul”. He was driven by the curiosit y of discovering a new continent. On the evening of the 6th st age, he was in 77th position of the overall classification.
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Following a fall at the 178km mark of St age 7 from Ha’il to Sakaka, an unconscious Pierre was airlifted by helicopter to hospit al in Sakaka where it was revealed that he had sust ained a severe head trauma. Doctors performed urgent neurosurger y, and placed Pierre in an induced coma. His condition having remained st able for a few days, he was airlifted from Sakaka to Jeddah and placed on a medical plane back to France. Regretfully he died from his injuries five days after the accident took place. Pierre was 52, an entrepreneur and sailing enthusiast, and had no other ambitions than to live an adventure, without really worr ying about the podium: “I am an amateur, I don’t want to win but to discover landscapes that I would never have had the opportunit y to see other wise. Ever ything is exciting: riding the bike, living your passion, getting to know yourself”. R.I.P. Pierre
132 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
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DAKAR 133 PRESS TEAM
SAKAKA - NEOM The ancient geological formations of the region of NEOM are outstanding. Soon to be home of a city of the future the area proudly shows off its impressive canyons, cliffs, and mountains – again a distraction for competitors who paid the price of navigational difficulties on their way from Sakaka.
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However, the start of the special left a trail of destruction thanks mainly to the extremely stony portions of the track. Toby Price, Sam Sunderland and Sébastien Loeb all experiencing tire troubles. The views might be captivating, but the terrain is proving extremely tough and extracted its pound of flesh!
134 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
st age
8
STÉPHANE PETERHANSEL (FRA) EDOUARD BOULANGER (FRA)
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DAKAR 135 PRESS TEAM
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LIBOR PODMOL (CZE)
136 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 137 PRESS TEAM
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DAVID PABISKA (CZE)
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CHARLIE HERBST (FRA)
138 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
Left page Dakar 2019 was Charlie Herbst’ first foray into the world’s toughest rally. The Peruvian landscape did not treat him kindly however and when overt aken in a cloud of dust as Nasser Al Attiyah went by on day 7, his ankle struck a rock. Dakar competitors are a tough lot though and the young man continued racing until a few days later when he was forced to retire. At the age of 21, Charlie opened a motorbike shop and so it was business as usual, however struggling to heal his ankle several months after his return to France, a visit to his doctor revealed a fracture. He has been on a bike since age 5, has 15 years crosscountr y circuit experience and returned to compete in the Dakar 2020 edition to finish a ver y credible 43rd.
#152 ALEXANDRE GIROUD (FRA) #154 MANUEL ANDUJAR (ARG)
DAKAR 139 PRESS TEAM
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In 2021, the determined young man has a lot to be proud of. Supported by his apprentices and mechanic who gave of their time freely to ready his bike for Saudi Arabia, Charlie Herbst competed again this year. Involving his employees even further in the adventure, a mechanic from the shop travelled with Charlie to help him complete his third Dakar.
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ALABDALALI SALEH (SAU) MOHAMMED ALNAIM (SAU)
140 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 141 PRESS TEAM
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NANI ROMA (ESP) ALEXANDRE WINOCQ (FRA)
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GUILHERME SPINELLI (BRA) YOUSSEF HADDAD (BRA)
142 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 143 PRESS TEAM
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YAZEED AL RAJHI (SAU) DIRK VON ZITZEWITZ (DEU)
TIM CORONEL (NLD) TOM CORONEL (NLD)
GERT-JAN VAN DER VALK (NLD) BRANCO DE LANGE (NLD)
Gert-Jan van der Valk and Branco de Lange shared a dream to compete in the Dakar and after t alking about it five years ago, the duo embarked on their shared rally experience.
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The duo has competed in the Africa Eco Race in a Toyot a, finishing fourth in their class and sixteenth overall. Switching to an SSV for the Morocco Desert Challenge due to problems with the Toyot a proved to be a turning point and the pair went on to compete in the Andalucia Rally, finishing second in the Open categor y. Taking the next step, Branco and Gert-Jan obt ained an FIA approved SSV from fellow Dakar competitor, Kees Koolen which was then prepared by Branco for Dakar 2021 to the team’s own specifications.
144 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 145 PRESS TEAM
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PAUL SPIERINGS (NLD)
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NASSER AL-ATTIYAH (QAT) MATTHIEU BAUMEL (FRA)
146 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
MARTIN VAN DEN BRINK (NLD) WOUTER DE GRAAFF (NLD) DANIEL KOZLOVSKY (CZE)
DAKAR 147 PRESS TEAM
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JEAN-LUC PISSON (FRA) VALENTIN SARREAUD (FRA)
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BRIAN BARAGWANATH (ZAF) TAYE PERRY (ZAF)
ALEXANDRE LEROY (BEL) NICOLAS DELANGUE (FRA)
148 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 149 PRESS TEAM
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KHALID ALJAFLA (ARE) ALI MIRZA (ARE)
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BENEDIKTAS VANAGAS (LTU) FILIPE PALMEIRO (PRT)
150 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 151 PRESS TEAM
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TOMAS ENGE (CZE) VLASTIMIL TOSENOVSKY (CZE)
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SALEH ALSAIF (SAU) ORIOL VIDAL MONTIJANO (ESP)
152 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
SETH QUINTERO (USA) DENNIS ZENZ (DEU)
DAKAR 153 PRESS TEAM
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CARLOS SAINZ (ESP) LUCAS CRUZ (ESP)
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PASCAL DE BAAR (NLD) JAN VAN DER VAET (BEL) STEFAN SLOOTJES (NLD)
To everyone’s surprise, including his own, Pascal de Baar finished sixth in the truck category in 2016, but that is not where his Dakar experience began. In 2005 he entered his first Dakar on a bike and continued riding until in 2009 when he switched to trucks. The Dakar legend participated in a fast assistance truck, spending most of his time at the back of the field and experiencing many nights in the desert. This experience contributing to his 2016 success. In 2021 De Baar returns to the Dakar as driver of the second truck of team Riwald Dakar. In the cabin with him as co-pilot is experienced Jan van der Vaet and personal friend Stefan Slootjes who is competing in only his second Dakar. Pascal de Baar: “We trained quite a bit this year, despite the circumstances. My truck has remained almost the same, we only strengthened the rear axle. The battle at the front is so competitive that if you puncture twice you have a chance that you will fall out of the top immediately. Let alone if you get something like a broken rear axle. That is really disastrous. You have to build a very solid truck but also drive very solidly and keep the car intact. I expect a heavier Dakar with shorter straights. But the rally will also develop further in Saudi Arabia. Several motorsport federations have helped to set routes, I am excited and curious what it will bring us.”
154 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 155 PRESS TEAM
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ALIAKSEI VISHNEUSKI (BLR) MAKSIM NOVIKAU (BLR) SIARHEI SACHUK (BLR)
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WILLIAM VAN GRONINGEN (NLD) CORNELIS DE WIT (NLD) JACO VAN GRONINGEN (NLD)
156 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
Left page Covid-19 threw a spanner in the works for everyone and the Dust Warrior team led by William van Groningen was no exception. For van Groningen and his team-mates, 2021 is their first foray into the Dakar Rally but it was not at first their intention to participate this year. The team has been in existence for less than two years and it was only in 2019 that van Groningen made his debut in the Africa Eco Race in a DAF truck. Their aim was to compete in the Africa again this year, but the pandemic changed their plans and surprisingly, the Dust Warriors team entered the Dakar with not
one, but two trucks. William, his brother Jaco and good friend Co de Wit competing in an ex-De Rooy Iveco while his son Wesley navigates in the team’s second truck, a DAF piloted by Pieter Koot and co-piloted by Remco Aangeenbrug. William van Groningen: “Sand and rally driving run in the family. Fortunately, we do not suffer from the Covid virus, but we are infected with the rally virus. It is a big step to participate in the Dakar as a young team, but we believe that we are ready. Especially with the Iveco.
That is ten steps forward, but my father has always taught me: you do it right or you don’t do it at all. We had a lot of contact in the run-up to the Dakar with people who have a lot of experience, and especially with Team De Rooy and with Richard de Groot, with whom we share a mechanic from De Rooy who supports us both. The Iveco is a top car, of which we know what it is capable of. Not that top performances should be expected of us right now already. We are a small and young team, but we will do everything we can to have a nice rally.”
DAKAR 157 PRESS TEAM
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DAKAR PRESS TEAM 2021 LEON JANSEN (NLD) PETER VAN VELZEN (NLD) PAUL LAS VAN BENNEKOM (NLD) MICHAEL VAN DER PUTTEN (NLD) POUL HENNING NIELSEN (DMK), BEHIND CAMERA ...
Father and son Van den Brink form a unique couple in the Dakar Rally. For Martin, Le Dakar started in 2009 during the first South America edition, behind the wheel of a Ginaf rally truck. For Mitchel van den Brink, the Dakar adventure started 10 years later. He was co-pilot with his father in both 2019 (at the age of 16, the youngest participant) and 2020, but will be driving Le Dakar 2021 for the first time in the fast assistance truck for the Mammoet Rallysport team. From a young age Mitchel has been involved in dad’s rallying activities. A very intensive training period preceded Mitchel’s first Dakar rally. On numerous occasions junior trained in the dunes of Morocco on a motorbike, in buggies, and also in a rally truck. In addition, Mitchel started twice in the Silk Way Rally, twice in the Morocco Rally and twice in the Dakar, each time as a co-driver. After obtaining his lorry driving license it was time to get behind the wheel of a rally truck himself. Dakar 2021 is thus the absolute baptism of fire for the 18 years old (youngest Truckparticipant ever). “His very first rally as a driver is the Dakar and he finished it in 19th position!”, says a proud father.
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For Martin van den Brink, this year brought a change from the Renault Sherpa to a Renault C460 (front truck). It makes no difference to him to drive a front truck or one with “a nose”, however there are some advantages. “The big advantage of my current C460 is the cab. It is a lot roomier than the Sherpa. There you just sat three people on top of each other. There is a lot more space in the cabin of the front truck, especially above your head. And that makes a big difference during jumping, I can tell you.”
158 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
“Due to Covid-19 restrictions, we have not been able to test the new truck, which was built by MKR Racing, in Morocco. We were only able to do some driving around Harskamp and discovered that the suspension settings were not yet optimal. We had to improve that during the first part of this rally. Also, the cabin suspension was not yet in order. But the 13 liter 6 cylinder line engine has more than enough power.” The Volvo FMX that Mitchel drives was built entirely by the team in the workshop in Harskamp. “We do have a bit less power with our assistance truck, but with a bit more conscious driving you can actually get through anything.” Says Mitchel. Martin adds that having less power is actually an advantage. “He has to make more effort to get through the dunes. He just learns from that.” There is no shortage of ambition for Jr: “Maybe in the future I can drive a faster truck. This year the Silk Way Rally is on the calendar. I am really looking forward to that. The landscape is diverse, and you drive through beautiful countryside. But the favorite terrain of both father and son are the dunes. “In the Dakar Rally I would like to see 20% more sand!” “By the way, we don’t do it alone. Teamwork and cooperation are paramount at Mammoet Rallysport. We are a particularly close-knit team, made up of 22 volunteers who make sure we can put in a top performance.” Besides two rally trucks, the Mammoet Rallysport team also has three service trucks, which are equipped as workshop and parts warehouse, but also as kitchen and sleeping quarters. Two press cars drive from bivouac to bivouac and follow the team closely.
STORY OF MARTIN & MITCHEL VAN DEN BRINK
DAKAR 159 PRESS TEAM
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MARTIN VAN DEN BRINK (NLD) WOUTER DE GRAAFF (NLD) DANIEL KOZLOVSKY (CZE)
NEOM NEOM The race started beside the seaside in Stage 9, looping around Neom on a 465km journey. Again, the landscape and the vast blue skies are spectacular. A delight for photographers but not so for riders and drivers. The full focus of drivers, co-pilots, mechanics and riders was on avoiding rocks and making sense of a jumble of tracks which again claimed victims.
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Carlos Sainz and Nasser Al Attiyah lost valuable time, but the navigational difficulties didn’t claim Chilean rider, ‘Nacho’ Cornejo, on the contrary, remaining calm helped him move up the rankings.
Photo left: Luciano Benavides (#77), who was in third place after 239 km, has crashed after 242 km. The Argentinean has injured his shoulder and has been airlifted by helicopter to the hospital in Tabuk.
160 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
st age
9
DAKAR 161 PRESS TEAM
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LUCIANO BENAVIDES (ARG)
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BENEDIKTAS VANAGAS (LTU) FILIPE PALMEIRO (PRT)
162 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
Lithuanian, Benediktas Vanagas has been a consistent performer in the cars since his debut in 2013, and now he is determined to crack the top 10 for the first time at Dakar 2021. Five other Lithuanian drivers lined up this year in the cars, a high number considering the small population of Lithuania. Finishing in 11th place in 2019, just five seconds out of the top 10, he has plenty of determination in the tank to go one better this year. His long-time co-driver Sebastian Rozwadowski unfortunately is not in the seat this year. Their 11th placing was a record for the Baltic states. Due to illness, Sebastian was forced out of the 2020 event at the last minute and stepping into the role was experienced Portuguese co-driver Filipe Palmeiro who has also enjoyed plenty of success in the Dakar, making his debut in 2005.
DAKAR 163 PRESS TEAM
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Vanagas and Palmeiro compete this year as part of the regional Baltic wing of the Toyota Gazoo Racing team in an all-new Toyota Hilux. Support for the duo also came in the form of teammates Edvinas Juskauskas and Aisvydas Paliukenas racing ‘Black Hawk V”, the car in which Benediktas raced in the last two Dakar’s.
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NANI ROMA (ESP) ALEXANDRE WINOCQ (FRA)
164 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 165 PRESS TEAM
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MARTIN SOLTYS (CZE) DAVID SCHOVANEK (CZE) TOM IKOLA (CZE)
Sebastian Guayasamin entered his 7th Dakar Rally as the only pilot representing Ecuador at Dakar 2021 in Saudi Arabia. Getting to the st arting line became a greater challenge for all South American drivers. Not only due to the great travel dist ance and logistics involved but also because of the restrictions, due to Covid, imposed in Europe and Middle East. This year Sebastian debuted in the light weight vehicle categor y in a new Polaris RZK XP Pro, prepared by the Xtreme Plus Polaris Factor y Team.
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SEBASTIAN GUAYASAMIN (ECU) RICARDO ADRIAN TORLASCHI (ARG)
During the 3rd st age in Wadi AdDawasir, at kilometer 135 the SSV engine broke down. Sebastian and his Argentine co-pilot Ricardo Torlaschi, worked for hours to tr y to continue the race with no luck. At long last, the assist ance truck towed them to kilometer 20 0, but they were not able to finish the st age. At the bivouac the mechanics determined the engine had to be replaced due to a problem with the gasoline. Fortunately, the race commissioners allowed them to continue to the next st age in “Dakar Experience”, which left the SSV #428 unable to continue fighting for the general classification. Nevertheless, Sebastian and his co-pilot, were not discouraged by this race misfortune, they were committed to continue to fight each remaining st age maint aining performance and endurance, which has been the main strength of this South American pilot. Most cert ainly we will see him again in the Arabic desert racing in Dakar 2022.
166 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 167 PRESS TEAM
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STORY OF SEBASTIAN GUAYASAMIN
ANTON SHIBALOV (RUS) DMITRII NIKITIN (RUS) IVAN TATARINOV (RUS)
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MARTIN VAN DEN BRINK (NLD) WOUTER DE GRAAFF (NLD) DANIEL KOZLOVSKY (CZE)
168 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
TIM CORONEL (NLD) TOM CORONEL (NLD)
DAKAR 169 PRESS TEAM
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DOMINIQUE HOUSIEAUX (FRA) SIMON VITSE (FRA)
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MARTIN MACIK (CZE) FRANTISEK TOMASEK (CZE) DAVID SVANDA (CZE)
170 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
ALES LOPRAIS (CZE) PETR POKORA (CZE) KHALID ALKENDI (ARE)
DAKAR 171 PRESS TEAM
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TERUHITO SUGAWARA (JPN) HIROKAZU SOMEMIYA (JPN) YUJI MOCHIZUKI (JPN)
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WILLIAM VAN GRONINGEN (NLD) CO DE WIT (NLD) JACCO VAN GRONINGEN (NLD)
172 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
IGNACIO CASALE (CHL) ALVARO LEON (CHL) DAVID HOFFMANN (CZE)
ALIAKSEI VISHNEUSKI (BLR) MAKSIM NOVIKAU (BLR) SIARHEI SACHUK (BLR)
DAKAR 173 PRESS TEAM
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JAROSLAV VALTR (CZE) RADIM KAPLANEK (CZE) JAROSLAV MISKOLCI (SVK)
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PASCAL DE BAAR (NLD) JAN VAN DER VAET (BEL) STEFAN SLOOTJES (NLD)
174 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
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DAKAR 175 PRESS TEAM
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PABLO QUINTANILLA (CHL)
176 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
NEOM AL ULA
st age
10
SAM SUNDERLAND (GBR)
The road to AlUla is like entering a different world. A world full of enormous rock sculptures that have been likened to mushrooms, mammoths, tulips, pyramids and even a Greek colony. These natural sculptures have been crafted by the elements over hundreds of thousands of years to create a surreal landscape.
DAKAR 177 PRESS TEAM
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AlUla is famous for his millennia-old Nabataean funerary monuments, but it was no tourist ride for competitors. Again, navigation was the main concern, creating mountainous difficulties for some. Sam Sunderland nearly coming unstuck, but it was the setback suffered by Nacho Cornejo that impacted the race for bike riders at the top of the standings.
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JOSE IGNACIO CORNEJO FLORIMO (CHL)
178 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
During stage 10, José Ignacio “Nacho” Cornejo Florimo, from Chile, crashed on a stony track. The mountain road is littered with loose stones and rocks, causing Cornejo to crash in a curve 252 kilometres after the start of this stage. At that moment Cornejo is still leading in the general classification. Cornejo had been leading the motorbikes for the past few days and had an excellent starting position after Toby Price’s retirement in stage nine.
ÉTIENNE SMULEVICI (FRA)
The Dakar Press Team photographers, as well as Etienne Smulevici, who are at the scene, provide first aid. The rally organization is informed of the crash, but Cornejo insists on being allowed to continue. Permission is granted, allowing the motorcyclist to continue his journey. Although the ASO initially announced that he could continue his journey without any problems, it turned out that there was more to it. The time
difference increased significantly in the last 100 kilometres of the test. At the finish Cornejo was 17.42 minutes behind teammate Ricky Brabec. He indicated that he did not feel well and was examined by the doctors. After a thorough examination, they decided to take him out of the race.
DAKAR 179 PRESS TEAM
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JOSE IGNACIO CORNEJO FLORIMO (CHL)
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JOAN BARREDA BORT (ESP)
180 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 181 PRESS TEAM
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JAKUB PRZYGONSKI (POL) TIMO GOTTSCHALK (DEU)
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STÉPHANE PETERHANSEL (FRA) EDOUARD BOULANGER (FRA)
PASCAL DE BAAR (NLD) JAN VAN DER VAET (BEL) STEFAN SLOOTJES (NLD)
182 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 183 PRESS TEAM
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NANI ROMA (ESP) ALEXANDRE WINOCQ (FRA)
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FRANCISCO LOPEZ CONTARDO (CHL) JUAN PABLO LATRACH VINAGRE (CHL)
184 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
ANTON SHIBALOV (RUS) DMITRII NIKITIN (RUS) IVAN TATARINOV (RUS)
DAKAR 185 PRESS TEAM
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MARCELO TIGLIA GASTALDI (BRA) LOURIVAL ROLDAN (BRA)
AL ULA YANBU Dunes featured again in the rain-shortened 11th st age and it was expected that sand and dune experts like Nasser Al Attiyah and Sam Sunderland would prove their prowess. They cert ainly applied their expertise. However, it wasn’t enough to break the resolve of their competitive rivals.
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St age 11 was complex. Shortened by 50-kilometres due to the rain, it thoroughly tested the riding , driving and navigation skills and abilities of all competitors.
186 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
st age
11
RUI GONCALVES (PRT)
JUAN PEDRERO GARCIA (ESP)
DAKAR 187 PRESS TEAM
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SEBASTIAN BÜHLER (DEU)
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KEVIN BENAVIDES (ARG)
188 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
Left page: The penultimate stage of the Rally – AlUla to Yanbu witnessed a seriously tight race at the top of the leaderboard in the bike category. Honda rider Kevin Benavides and Red Bull Factory Team rider Sam Sunderland fought it out hard in an epic battle. Sunderland making headway on the gap between them managed to take stage honors.
Benavides will begin the 12th and final stage at the top of the general standings with only 4 short minutes separating him from Sunderland.
event, he injured his hand and was unable to take part. Kevin returned with success in 2018 finishing in second place and again in 2019 with 5th placing.
Hailing from Argentina, Kevin Benavides’ Dakar history began in 2016 with a very impressive 4th place. Big things were expected from him, but with only 15 days to go before the start of the 2017
A penalty in 2019 saw him fall down the placings to 19th position but following success at the Andalucia Rally leading up to this year’s race, he is extremely motivated for Dakar 2021.
DAKAR 189 PRESS TEAM
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MATHIEU DOVEZE (FRA)
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ARUNAS GELAZNINKAS (LTU)
JOAQUIM RODRIGUES (PRT)
JAN BRABEC (CZE)
190 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 191 PRESS TEAM
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SKYLER HOWES (USA)
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MATTHIAS WALKNER (AUT)
ORIOL MENA (ESP)
192 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
MARTIN MICHEK (CZE)
DAKAR 193 PRESS TEAM
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JAVIER VEGA PUERTA (ESP)
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#42 ADRIEN VAN BEVEREN (FRA) #63 KONRAD DABROWSKI (POL) #60 STÉPHANE DARQUES (FRA)
194 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
Left page, above
CHARLIE HERBST (FRA)
At the age of 19, and competing in his first Dakar, Konrad Dabrowski (DUUST Rally Team) is the youngest Polish bike competitor in Dakar 2021. His Dakar history however goes back further – he is son of Dakar veteran and three-time cross-country rally World Champion, Marek Dabrowski. Konrad is used to moto-cross and his lead up to Dakar has been short, successfully completing his first cross-country in the 2019 Moroccan Rally.
Before the Rallye du Maroc I did 2,000 kilometers of training with Jacek Czachor. His son Kuba Czachor was my best friend, ever since I could remember. We learned to ride motorbikes together, on the Yamaha PW50. We grew up watching our fathers’ race in rally raids, and my childhood dream was to do the same with Kuba. I’ll never forget the day Kuba left us. I am where I am not only thanks to my dad and Jacek, but also thanks to Kuba. It was great to have the Czachor-Dabrowski duo mixing it up in the desert again.”
DAKAR 195 PRESS TEAM
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“I can’t quite believe I’m on the start list of this iconic event. The first time I sat on a Dakar bike, I was two days old! Everyone’s always reminding you that it’s the hardest rally in the world, and you should expect the unexpected. But I love challenges, and I’m going there with plenty of optimism. The goal is to reach the finish line.
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#154 MANUEL ANDUJAR (ARG) #159 GIOVANNI ENRICO (CHL) #163 PABLO COPETTI (USA)
196 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 197 PRESS TEAM
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TOBIAS JUAN CARRIZO (ARG)
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CARLOS SAINZ (ESP) LUCAS CRUZ (ESP)
198 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 199 PRESS TEAM
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NANI ROMA (ESP) ALEXANDRE WINOCQ (FRA)
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TOMÁŠ KUBIENA (CZE)
YAZEED AL RAJHI (SAU) DIRK VON ZITZEWITZ (DEU)
200 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 201 PRESS TEAM
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SHAMEER VARIAWA (ZAF) DENNIS MURPHY (ZAF)
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BENEDIKTAS VANAGAS (LTU) FILIPE PALMEIRO (PRT)
202 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
EDVINAS JUSKAUSKAS (LTU AISVYDAS PALIUKENAS (LTU)
DAKAR 203 PRESS TEAM
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VLADIMIR VASILYEV (RUS) DMITRO TSYRO (RUS)
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GINIEL DE VILLIERS (ZAF) ALEX HARO BRAVO (ESP)
204 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 205 PRESS TEAM
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MARTIN PROKOP (CZE) VIKTOR CHYTKA (CZE)
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TIM CORONEL (NLD) TOM CORONEL (NLD)
206 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
What do a former CEO of Booking.com and a former MotoGP rider have in common? Motorsport racing of course!
KEES KOOLEN (NLD) JURGEN VAN DEN GOORBERGH (NLD)
Kees Koolen (the former Booking.com CEO) and Jurgen van den Goorbergh (former MotoGP and Dakar mallemoto champion) are long-time friends who teamed up in the SSV class in 2020 finishing in 17th place. Koolen enjoys challenges, first entering the Dakar on a bike in 2009 and has made a name for himself as the first man in Dakar history to compete in all categories.
DAKAR 207 PRESS TEAM
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For the 43rd edition of Dakar, Kees and Jurgen will again compete in the SSV class. Van den Goorbergh took out the Dakar Motul class (previously known as malle-moto) in 2016 and it seems MotoGP is in the family. His 14-yearold son Zonta is competing at championship level, taking part in the CEV European series and Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup.
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KHALIFA AL ATTIYAH (QAT) PAOLO CECI (ITA)
208 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
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DAKAR 209 PRESS TEAM
QUESTIONS FOR ÉTIENNE SMULEVICI
Etienne Smulevici, the Stainless-Steel-Hero of the fabulous Rally-Raid, Le Dakar. Who doesn’t know him? 73 years old, in January 2021 he took part in his 39th Dakar, which is a record. He finished 26 times, another record. But one gets the impression that the racer, a modest, friendly and charismatic legend, is only looking ahead... The question everyone is asking, right off the bat: Tell us, Etienne, what made you run and keep you running? With the Dakar this year, I had covered 537,500 km of racing in total, and I have known all the continents. But I can assure you that I haven’t lost a bit of enthusiasm for my passionate life. In the 1970s, I had travelled to Africa and fell madly in love with this continent. In 1982, I went to the Place de la Concorde in Paris to see the start of the Dakar and I promised myself that the next year, I would be there as a contender. January 1, 1983, I was indeed at the wheel of a Peugeot Dangel 504 pickup and on January 22, with my teammate Daniel Guarato, we finished this superb adventure in the city of Dakar. I’ve raced them all ever since, my last as a rally-driver in 2017 in South America, where I made the decision to stop; assuming it’s best to quit on a beautiful result rather than a failure. Then I still rode a real MAN race truck again, and I was so gentle on my steed that we came in second in my series. So, it’s in the mind. Defeat the desert. Knowing how to grasp the terrain. Rally-Raid takes a lot of feeling, you can go very fast, see 200 km an hour, and cross dunes almost in slow motion.
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It takes envy, willpower, experience and tenacity. I love this fabulous contact with nature. Man is very small in front of nature and desert. Like a sailor facing the sea or a mountaineer facing the mountain...
210 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
What would you say to young people who are starting out? If I have to advise people who want to get into Rally-Raid driving, I have to be realistic in saying that it is very tough. For a race, you have to find sponsors and prepare a lot. It’s good to have talent, but I think going through a school allows you to learn technique and be better prepared. However, you have to follow your dreams to the end. Life is short; don’t wait until it’s too late. In 2017, I was offered to join the organization of the race or to coach. I chose the second option. Since then, I have been coaching Dakar pilots every year and I have been accompanying journalists and photographers in the dunes and the field. It really is a great activity. I share my passion and I discover people with exceptional human qualities. Tell us about your team? This year, I am setting up a full press team (three 4x4) and will drive them every day to the most beautiful sections of the race. After so many journeys in the heart of all the continents, I decided to put my experience at the service of others as a coach on Rally-Raids and by organizing discovery trips around the 4x4 and / or buggy to the four corners of the world. Is the Saudi Arabian Desert as beautiful as the Tenere Desert you love so much? My first crossing of Le Ténéré in 1983, the time of Thierry Sabine, monster sandstorms, unforgettable! The arrival in Agadez, what a relief… A handful of survivors, 200 competitors having lost their way.
So, leaving for 2022? I would of course! Because we don’t stop at 39, do we! On the other hand, why not at 40? Isn’t that your scoop? I have my relatives, I have my friends, I have my memories, and it’s time to prepare for my last Dakar.
DAKAR 211 PRESS TEAM
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What we are going through in Saudi Arabia is a mixture of Ténéré, Libya, Algeria and Mauritania; it’s a magnificent melting pot. Deserts are never comparable. Structure, rocks, dunes, type of sand, anything can play out. But above all, personal approach and experience do count.
THE SECRET OF KAMAZ MASTER
The KAMAZ-master Team began in 1988 at the Jelcz rally in Poland with two trucks. The Russian KAMAZ brand was almost unheard of in Europe and none of the competitors or sports fans could have imagined in their wildest dreams that this new team would go on to successfully claim the podium.
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To everyone’s surprise, this team of beginners took second place in the race. From that success, the team from Naberezhnye Chelny climbed to the top of the sports mountain and the name of KAMAZ-master gained international fame.
ANDREY KARGINOV (RUS) ANDREY MOKEEV (RUS) IGOR LEONOV (RUS)
212 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
The thorny path to conquering Dakar began in 1990 for the KAMAZ-Master team, and in 1996 they made it to the pinnacle and took first place on the podium. Since then, the team has participated 30 times and raced their way to the top step of the podium 18 times. This is a unique result! The team now possesses three World Cups and eight victories in the Silk Way Rally super-marathon as well as 12 Honored Masters of Sports and 16 Masters of Sports at an international level. In addition, the technologies utilized to create the race trucks for off-road racing has contributed not only on the tracks but in broader applications in modernization of the PTC KAMAZ serial production.
To win a Dakar rally you need teamwork and for the KAMAZ-Master team, working together is critical. According to a KAMAZ-Master team’s Marketing and PR Director, Eric Khayrullin, teams see eye to eye, they help each other and if someone falls, others will help him up or if someone needs help, the others are there. The team’s victories are primarily a result of coordinated teamwork. “You can be a good pilot, but without a reliable car, without mechanics preparing cars for the race, without navigators, finding the right route through the cobweb of directions, it is impossible to achieve a good result. Of course, a lot depends on how the rally develops, but it has to be said that victory is forged long before the race. The one who is better prepared will win.”
AIRAT MARDEEV (RUS) DMITRIY SVISTUNOV (RUS) AKHMET GALIAUTDINOV (RUS)
If there was any “secret” to the successes of KAMAZMaster it is again, the people who make up the team. Each team member is a part of a larger mechanism and if one small detail fails, the whole machine fails. Each member is a professional and understands that performing his duties to the highest possible level will achieve maximum results for the whole team. This year, the ASO introduced new roadbook procedures, an innovation welcomed by the KAMAZ-Master teams. But in a truck, where the electronic road book is fixed rigidly in the cabin, it can cause some difficulty. The rough riding in the truck cabin doesn’t allow for the roadbook to be held, so it shakes around just as much as the cab does which doesn’t make reading it an easy job for the co-pilot! In 2016, KAMAZ unveiled the KAMAZ Master Bonnet truck “Kapotnik”, what’s next for KAMAZ? Well, according to KAMAZ, work is being carried out on two new trucks – the sports KAMAZ truck with K5 cab being the priority. It is planned to have the vehicle ready for the 2021 Silk Way Rally. The second generation of the bonnet KAMAZ is standing in the production shop. The K5 project is managed by Dmitry Sotnikov and Eduard Nikolaev, as he drove the first truck in the history of KAMAZ-master, is responsible for the bonnet truck project.
“Not a single novelty is out of view, if there are good solutions, they are used in KAMAZ-master in our serial production, which allows us to promote a high-quality product on various world markets and successfully take part in competitions. Currently we must finish building the K5 cab truck and the new generation bonnet truck, after which we will start development of a vehicle with an alternative fuel type.”
DAKAR 213 PRESS TEAM
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Future Dakar rallies will see the introduction of low or zero emission vehicles and KAMAZ is following trends and emerging innovations in the automotive industry.
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MARTIN VAN DEN BRINK (NLD) WOUTER DE GRAAFF (NLD) DANIEL KOZLOVSKY (CZE)
214 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 215 PRESS TEAM
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ALES LOPRAIS (CZE) PETR POKORA (CZE) KHALID ALKENDI (ARE)
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KAROLY FAZEKAS (HUN) ALBERT PÉTER HORN (HUN) PETER CSAKANY (HUN)
216 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 217 PRESS TEAM
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WILLIAM DE GROOT (NLD MARCEL SNIJDERS (NLD) BART GLOUDEMANS (NLD)
YANBU JEDDAH For the 14th time in his Dakar career, ‘Mr. Dakar ’, Stéphane Peterhansel emerged victorious to t ake his position on the top podium. While Dakar 2021 was his 8th title behind the wheel of a car, his first victor y was on a bike, racing for Yamaha 30 years ago. He has become the only driver to have won the title on three continents. Also writing himself into the Dakar histor y books was Kevin Benavides – the first South American winner of the bike categor y. Triumphantly victorious in the quad race was Benavides’ fellow Argentinian, Manuel Andújar. While in the light weight vehicle categor y Chilean “Chaleco” López conquered the field. The podium was dominated by Kamaz in the truck race, however this year it was driver Dmitr y Sotnikov and his crew on the top step.
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The 43rd edition of the Dakar ended back in Jeddah – thirteen days and 12 st ages of journeying 80 0 0 kilometers through the Saudi Arabian landscape. Of the 286 st arters, 193 vehicles completed the event, 19 of which were competitors who had been forced to withdraw but had been able to t ake advant age of the ‘Dakar Experience’ rule. They too can say that they have completed the Dakar adventure, giving them valuable experience for future races. Dakar 2021 saw the first edition of the “Dakar Classic” categor y. Vehicles from the 20th centur y competed in a race for consistency. The inaugural winner, at the wheel of a 1979 Sunhill Buggy was Marc Douton with co-driver Emelien Etienne.
218 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
st age
12
DAKAR 219 PRESS TEAM
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MARTIN MICHEK CZE
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# 29 EMANUEL GYENES (ROU) #54 CAMILLE CHAPELIERE (FRA)
220 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 221 PRESS TEAM
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XAVIER FLICK (FRA)
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#48 MATHIEU DOVEZE (FRA) #44 LAIA SANZ (ESP) #80 MICHAEL BURGESS (AUS)
222 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
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DAKAR 223 PRESS TEAM
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PABLO COPETTI (USA)
224 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 225 PRESS TEAM
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TOBIAS JUAN CARRIZO (ARG)
ANTANAS JUKNEVICIUS (LTU) DARIUS VAICIULIS (LTU)
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BINGLONG LU (CHN) WENKE MA (CHN)
226 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
YANGUI LIU (CHN) HONGYU PAN (CHN)
MARCELO TIGLIA GASTALDI (BRA) LOURIVAL ROLDAN (BRA)
DAKAR 227 PRESS TEAM
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LIONEL BAUD (FRA) LOIC MINAUDIER (FRA)
CYRIL DESPRES (FRA) MIKE HORN (ABU)
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DENIS KROTOV (RUS) OLEG UPERENKO (LVA)
228 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 229 PRESS TEAM
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DOMINIQUE HOUSIEAUX (FRA) SIMON VITSE (FRA)
CHRISTIAN LAVIEILLE (FRA) JEAN-PIERRE GARCIN (FRA)
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GUILHERME SPINELLI (BRA) YOUSSEF HADDAD (BRA)
230 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 231 PRESS TEAM
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BRIAN BARAGWANATH (ZAF) TAYE PERRY (ZAF)
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ALES LOPRAIS (CZE) PETR POKORA (CZE) KHALID ALKENDI (ARE)
232 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
LEONARDO MARTINEZ (BOL)
DAKAR 233 PRESS TEAM
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JAKUB PRZYGONSKI (POL) TIMO GOTTSCHALK (DEU)
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MARTIN MACIK (CZE) FRANTISEK TOMASEK (CZE) DAVID SVANDA (CZE)
234 DAKAR PRESS TEAM
DAKAR 235 PRESS TEAM
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HEADING TOWARDS THE FINISHLINE