Anja van Loon will drive the Dakar Rally in 2025 together with her brothers, Jan and Ben van de Laar. In a Team De Rooy Iveco they want to pay the ultimate tribute to their parents with at least a top ten ranking.
The brothers and sister will take turns behind the wheel. Anja hopes that she can teach her brothers to drive her way and reach the finish without any problems.
“Without our mom and dad, we wouldn’t be here,” says Anja. “We miss them every day, but thanks to them, we started this as a family. Unfortunately, our mom never got to experience it herself, but that’s why our dad started driving. First with Jan and then with Ben. The fact that we’re getting into the truck together five years after his death is the ultimate tribute to our parents. They’ll be watching from above and we’ll carry them with us every kilometer.”
Despite being brothers and sisters, it will take some getting used to. “We will all be driving, alternately. Jan and Ben have a lot of driving experience, of course, but they can also navigate. I have never done that before, so I will not be navigating during the Dakar. We want to be at the front, so that is not smart with these speeds. I think our big advantage will be that we know each other inside and out. I am very curious to see how that will be for us, but I am sure we can do it together.”
For Anja, the truck will feel familiar. “Last year I also drove an Iveco from De Rooy, so I know what it can do. Jan and Ben drove their own Iveco, so they will get used to it quickly. It is simply a very good truck that gets a little better every year. We are the only Dutch people in the team this year, so that will take some getting used to. We are going to make the best of it.”
Last year Anja had the least flat tires and that will also be the tactic for this year: keep driving. “Someone called me the tire queen last year, I had a flat tire in the entire rally and that saves so much time. I will teach my brothers that too, no flat tires, so we will do it my way. Then a good ranking should definitely be possible.”
“We have to finish in the top ten and hopefully even a little higher. When I look at the Dutch competition, I hope we can still get into the top three. The most important thing is to drive well and have as little trouble along the way. Then we will be very happy and proud of each other at the finish. Our mom and dad will be watching from above and we will also think of them along the way, how proud they will be!”
The Dakar Rally starts on Friday 3 January with the prologue around Bisha. This is followed by 12 stages with over 5,000 timed kilometres. On 10 January, the rest day is in Hail and the rally finishes on 17 January in Shubaytah.
