The most anticipated adventure of the year, the 45th edition of the Dakar Rally Race and the toughest since the competition arrived in Saudi Arabia, has come to a close with a success for IVECO’s new teams. The drivers passed this test of extreme endurance with flying colours, having driven over 8,500 km on perilous terrains and across vast expanses of sandy dunes. On his fourth Dakar rally, Janus van Kasteren jr capitalised on his experience to deliver a consistent performance, collecting several podium placements and first place in the final standings. He was followed by veteran driver – a legend of the Dakar – Martin van den Brink, who finished third. His son and teammate Mitchel van den Brink drove an impressive race, collecting several second places and becoming the youngest special winner with his first place in stage 6, and closing the competition in fourth place.
The two teams got to a flying start in the prologue, securing excellent places on the starting grid for Stage 1 with their IVECO Powerstar trucks powered by Cursor 13 engines specially engineered by FPT Industrial. Unfortunately, Vick Versteijnen had to retire on Day 4 of the competition. The three remaining crews continued to battle the heat and rain of the desert to achieve podium placements in every stage of the rally race.
Fabio Santiago, Head of Marketing and Product Management IVECO Truck Business Unit, stated: “We are very pleased with the results achieved by our teams and our IVECO Powerstar trucks, although the victory is tinged with sadness for what happened during the ninth stage: first and foremost, our thoughts and solidarity go to all those involved. We nonetheless need to show our gratitude to our pilots, who pushed themselves and their vehicles to the maximum, and delivered a fantastic performance in the toughest of the Saudi Arabian Dakar rallies. We are so proud of all our crews, who took on this challenge with grit and determination, making our trucks shine with winning performances.”
OVERALL PLACEMENTS – DAKAR 2023
Janus van Kasteren jr – Winner
Martin van den Brink – Third
Mitchel van den Brink – Fourth
EUROL TEAM DE ROOY IVECO CREWS
#511- Mitchel van den Brink, Moises Torrallardona, Jarno Van De Pol
#506 – Martin van den Brink, Rijk Mouw, Erik Kofman.
BOSS MACHINERY TEAM DE ROOY IVECO CREWS
#502 – Janus van Kasteren jr, Marcel Snijders, Darek Rodewald.
#504 – Vick Versteijnen, Teun Van Dal, Andreas Van Der Sande.
