During Stage 6 of the Dakar Rally, Zala started strong with the fastest time at the first waypoint. However, Mitchel van den Brink took control, together with mechanic Jarno van de Pol and navigator Moi Torrallardona. In their MMT EVO 4, the team managed not only to stay ahead of Martin Macik, also in an MMT EVO 4, but also to claim the stage victory. Soltys, Martin van den Brink, and Kees Koolen finished third, fourth, and sixth respectively, all about 30 minutes behind Mitchel. This marks Mitchel’s fourth stage win in the Dakar Rally, surpassing his father (three wins) as the most successful Dakar driver from Harskamp.


Team de Rooy and Technical Challenges
Team de Rooy faced a difficult day. Although the pace was there, technical issues hindered Zala and Fried van de Laar Racing, causing significant time loss. Ales Loprais, who recently celebrated his 45th birthday, managed to limit the damage and finished in fifth place, also about half an hour behind Mitchel.
Reactions from the Bivouac
• Mitchel van den Brink: “It was an amazing stage. We pushed hard and closed the gap to Martin Macik. In the last 50 kilometers, we were stuck in his dust but couldn’t pass him. Still, it was a great finish after a long battle in the dunes. Despite driving the last hour and a half in the dark, I’m very happy with the result.”
• Martin van den Brink: “We drove all the dunes in the dark, which made things tricky. During daylight, it would’ve been much easier, but the circumstances required us to make smart decisions. A broken rear stabilizer bar prevented us from fully pushing, but we’re happy with fourth place.”
• Kees Koolen: “We started strong, but technical issues caused a 10-minute delay. The dunes in the dark slowed us down, but we’re looking forward to tomorrow’s long stage.”
• Anja van Loon: “It was a challenging stage with lots of rocks and tough dunes, especially in the dark. We lost 45 minutes after getting stuck, but we’re happy to have reached the finish.”
• William de Groot: “Even though we finished tenth, we set faster times in the last section than Mitchel, Macik, and Soltys. A small but interesting detail in a tough stage.”


Results and Standings
Mitchel van den Brink won the stage in 5 hours, 17 minutes, and 19 seconds. Martin Macik finished second, seven minutes behind. Macik remains the overall leader, with Mitchel in second place, trailing by almost two hours. Tomorrow’s stage will be a crucial loop, featuring challenging navigation, a mix of fast and slow terrain, and even some mountain racing. While the trucks tackle the stage, the mechanics will finally get a chance to rest.
The rally remains exciting, with everything still to fight for in the coming days.
Top 10 Stage 6
1. Mitchel van den Brink – 5h17m19s
2. Martin Macik – +0:07:00
3. Martin Soltys – +0:29:07
4. Martin van den Brink – +0:29:46
5. Ales Loprais – +0:31:20
6. Kees Koolen – +0:37:51
7. Teruhito Sugawara – +1:05:21
8. Richard de Groot – +1:21:38
9. Anja van Loon – +1:22:18
10. William de Groot – +1:30:56
Top 10 Overall ranking after Stage 6
1. Martin Macik – 36h35m08s
2. Mitchel van den Brink – +1:49:33
3. Ales Loprais – +2:41:13
4. Martin Soltys – +4:01:10
5. Martin van den Brink – +4:22:01
6. Kees Koolen – +4:43:46
7. Teruhito Sugawara – +5:52:34
8. Richard de Groot – +6:27:17
9. Vaidotas Zala – +6:50:22
10. Anja van Loon – +7:03:20