Home » Macik Wins Dakar, Mitchel van den Brink Keeps Loprais at Bay

Macik Wins Dakar, Mitchel van den Brink Keeps Loprais at Bay

For the second consecutive time, Martin Macik wins the Dakar Rally in the Trucks category. The exciting battle for second place between Ales Loprais and Mitchel van den Brink was decided in favor of the Dutch talent from Harskamp. The final stage, spanning 61 kilometers, was won by Loprais, but the 10 seconds he gained on Van den Brink were not enough. Loprais thus remains in third place in the overall standings.

For 23-year-old Mitchel van den Brink, this result marks another step up from last year’s third-place finish. Unfortunately, the duel for first place was out of reach due to early mechanical issues in the rally. Given the circumstances, this is a fantastic result and the best possible outcome for now. Next year, the aim will be to climb one step higher on the podium.

Today, the trucks started in groups of four. Whether that truly lives up to the term “mass start” is debatable, but it’s a nice deviation from the usual starts, where trucks take off every two or three minutes. Macik had already stated yesterday that he wouldn’t push too hard in this stage. Mitchel van den Brink, on the other hand, was eager to grab another stage win, but Ales Loprais had other plans. Vaidotas Zala finished fourth today.

Dutch “train” in the results

Behind Zala, there was a “train” of Dutch drivers in the stage results. Martin van den Brink finished fifth today, followed by Richard de Groot, Maurik van den Heuvel, Kees Koolen, and Anja van Loon. Spanish driver Pep Sabaté claimed the tenth spot, with the final Dutchman, William de Groot, finishing in eleventh place in the closing stage.

Koolen: “Best of the Rest”

In the overall standings, Kees Koolen secured an impressive fourth place. Going into the rally, Ales Loprais, Mitchel van den Brink, and Martin Macik were the top favorites, so it’s no surprise they claimed the 3, 2, 1 positions on the podium. Koolen had an excellent rally, managing to stay ahead of Lithuanian debutant Vaidotas Zala, who also left a great impression in his first rally truck appearance. Martin van den Brink redeemed himself with a sixth-place finish after a disappointing Dakar Rally last year.

Provisional Stage 12 Results:

  1. Ales Loprais
  2. Mitchel van den Brink +00:00:10
  3. Vaidotas Zala +00:02:19
  4. Martin Macik +00:03:58
  5. Martin van den Brink +00:07:08
  6. Richard de Groot +00:07:39
  7. Maurik van den Heuvel +00:09:12
  8. Kees Koolen +00:09:54
  9. Anja van Loon +00:12:09
  10. Pep Sabate +00:13:12

Dakar 2025 Final Standings:

  1. Martin Macik
  2. Mitchel van den Brink +02:21:13
  3. Ales Loprais +02:26:43
  4. Kees Koolen +06:14:42
  5. Vaidotas Zala +07:17:24
  6. Martin van den Brink +07:50:43
  7. Richard de Groot +12:05:21
  8. Anja van Loon +15:02:00
  9. Tomas Vratny +23:41:24
  10. William de Groot +29:31:27