Home » De Rooy makes a statement in Stage 7 of the Dakar Rally

De Rooy makes a statement in Stage 7 of the Dakar Rally

Team De Rooy managed to turn yesterday’s challenges into an impressive performance. Aleš Loprais claimed a dominant victory in Stage 7, with teammate Vaidotas Zala finishing second. Zala ended 9 minutes and 43 seconds behind Loprais, while Jan van de Laar, together with Ben and Anja, delivered a solid eighth-place finish (+43m48s). Martin Macik completed the day’s podium with a gap of 10 minutes and 26 seconds.

Mitchel van den Brink in pursuit

Mitchel van den Brink faced a challenging start to the stage due to technical problems. Thanks to quick assistance from his father, Martin van den Brink, the damage was limited to a time loss of 28m55s. As a result, Mitchel remains in second place in the overall standings, but trails leader Macik by 2h08m02s. Despite the setbacks, Mitchel remains optimistic: “We can beat Loprais on our own strength. We’ll keep fighting.”


Strong performances and setbacks for others

Kees Koolen had a solid day, finishing fourth despite suffering a flat tire. He reduced the gap to fourth place in the overall standings to just 9 minutes. Jan van de Laar described the day as “great,” with a flawless drive and a spectacular finish where three trucks raced side by side across the plains.

Anja van Loon noted the challenges of the varied terrain but said her team navigated the dunes well. William de Groot set a personal best for this year with a seventh-place finish, while Richard de Groot finished twelfth, taking an hour longer than the fastest trucks.


Challenges in the field

Ard Munster, working as a mechanic for Czech driver Tomacek, experienced a varied day. The team navigated the first dunes well but got stuck in a sandpit. Later in the day, they assisted another truck that had become stuck, showcasing the camaraderie in the field.

Provisional results Stage 7

1. Aleš Loprais – 4h33m31s

2. Vaidotas Zala – +9m34s

3. Martin Macik – +10m26s

4. Kees Koolen – +24m26s

5. Mitchel van den Brink – +28m55s

6. Maurik van den Heuvel – +34m14s

7. William de Groot – +41m33s

8. Jan van de Laar – +43m48s

9. Teruhito Sugawara – +52m14s

10. Martin Soltys – +53m11s

Overall standings after Stage 7

1. Martin Macik – 41h19m05s

2. Mitchel van den Brink – +2h08m02s

3. Aleš Loprais – +2h30m47s

4. Martin Soltys – +4h43m55s

5. Kees Koolen – +4h57m46s

6. Martin van den Brink – +5h11m06s

7. Teruhito Sugawara – +6h34m22s

8. Vaidotas Zala – +6h49m30s

9. Richard de Groot – +7h16m50s

10. Anja van Loon – +7h36m52s

Looking ahead to tomorrow

The next stage promises to be another tough challenge, with 487 timed kilometers. The route is mostly rocky terrain but finishes with a demanding section through the dunes. Teams will have to give it their all to maintain or improve their positions.

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