The third stage of the Dakar Rally was a day full of challenges and improvisation for the crew aboard the Iveco Powerstar. Anja van Loon, along with Ben and Jan van de Laar, started strong, overtaking numerous cars. However, after 50 kilometers, a buggy refused to give way, leading them to hit an invisible wall. Following repairs, they continued with rear-wheel drive only, drifting their way to the finish. Things also didn’t go as planned for Erik van Loon and Hein Verschuuren. The stage was littered with rocks, making it impossible to maintain the required average speed, resulting in significant penalties. After the stage, the Audi encountered issues and had to be towed to the bivouac.
Anja was behind the wheel today and started the stage strong. “The terrain was breathtaking, truly a lunar landscape with volcanic rocks and fesh fesh. There was so much dust, but that worked to our advantage. Many others struggled with it, but we managed to overtake car after car effortlessly. After 50 kilometers, a buggy refused to let us pass, despite multiple signals from us. In the thick dust, we hit a stone wall.”
That’s when the improvisation began for the siblings. “We damaged our driveshaft and had to stop to make repairs. Together, we decided to remove the drive to the front axle and continue with rear-wheel drive. That was a bit tricky in the loose sand, but we managed to push on and reach the finish. Anja drove as if she were drifting an old BMW through the stage—a remarkable display of skill and determination.”
In total, they spent an hour repairing the truck but were still satisfied to finish the stage. “Now we have a long way to the bivouac. Once there, the mechanics can get to work preparing the truck for the next two days of rallying. Teamwork, improvisation, and resilience got us through another day of Dakar.”

“We had a bit of an off day,” said Erik. “It was just rocks everywhere, making it impossible to maintain the prescribed speeds. That cost us a lot of penalties. On top of that, we had two flat tires, and the time spent changing them only added to the penalties. After the finish, the car suddenly broke down, so we had to be towed to the bivouac. But otherwise, everything is going great—these kinds of days just happen sometimes. On to tomorrow.”
Tomorrow marks the first part of the marathon stage. Participants will travel from Al Henakiyah to Al Ula, where they will spend the night without assistance. The stage promises to be fast, technical, and treacherous. Dakar competitors must cover 415 kilometers at racing speed, while the Classics will tackle nearly 500 kilometers.