Home » Erik, Hein, Anja, Jan and Ben ready for the start of Dakar 2025

Erik, Hein, Anja, Jan and Ben ready for the start of Dakar 2025

Tomorrow, the Dakar Rally starts in Bisha, Saudi Arabia. The past few days have been all about scrutineering and testing. For Erik van Loon and Hein Verschuuren that was in the Audi Quattro, Anja van Loon, Jan and Ben van de Laar did so with the Iveco Powerstar. The vehicles felt good and both teams were ready for the start.

‘We are all set,’ Anja tells us. ‘Our first test is over, it was a nice test course of about 30 kilometres where we could get used to it well. So for me that was also the first time I wasn’t behind the wheel and I was very pleased with it. We took turns driving and then you also see that we have three completely different driving styles, but at the same time you feel the trust in each other. These will be three great weeks!’

The Iveco Powerstar also felt familiar to Jan. ‘It immediately felt familiar, the Iveco was fine-tuned and suits all our driving styles. Tomorrow the prologue will take place, which will determine the starting order. We are confident about going on this adventure together in the coming weeks.’

Last night were the technical and administrative inspections of the Iveco. ‘The truck has been fully approved,’ Ben said. ‘The mechanics are now putting the finishing touches to it. The setup and settings were good and it was also nice to be behind the wheel again. The shakedown allowed us to gain confidence in the car. So we go into the race full of confidence.’

The same goes for Erik and Hein. ‘Our test went top, the car is really great. We are here with four Quattros and they are the only four H4 cars, so we already know we have to open every day. But we’re going for it!’

The Dakar Rally starts on Friday with a prologue, this no longer counts for the standings and is used to determine the starting order of the first stage. For the Dakar competitors, it is 29 kilometres long, while the Classic prologue is slightly longer at 59 kilometres. It is a diverse test over wide sand and gravel tracks with some technical sections. From tomorrow, the Dakar Rally can be followed live via https://www.dakar.live.worldrallyraidchampionship.com/en/car/.

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