The longest stage of the 2025 Tuareg Rallye is in the books. Competitors made their way from Mhamid back to Erfoud through a varied route featuring dunes, fast sandy tracks, and notorious fesh-fesh sections. With nearly 400 kilometers on the clock, it turned into a true test of endurance. Erg Ouzina, in particular, showcased its most beautiful side, with classic dunes and breathtaking views.
Team Broomans Close to Stage Victory
Team Broomans once again delivered a flawless day — until the very last moment. “Every day we are woken up by Sonne from Rammstein, a real Tuareg Rally tradition! Today we had a super beautiful stage with everything: mountain passes, sandy trails, dunes, oueds, and tricky navigation. We could almost taste the victory, but a camel grass bump thought otherwise,” the team laughed. They eventually finished the day with a solid 5:35:07, putting their rally effort back on track.
Dutch Riders in Front
Bart van Olst (3:16:26) and Wouter de Graaff (3:28:11) delivered outstanding times in this tough stage. Robert van Pelt and Rob van Pelt were again fast and consistent. Robert clocked in at 3:35:17, and Rob followed closely with 3:32:59, further strengthening their positions in the standings.
Martijn van der Laan and Richard Wijntjes finished with 4:46:26 and 4:46:10, respectively, while Lennart Eikelboom (4:33:20) and Jan van den Hout (4:34:57) also made it through the day steadily.
For Guillaume Martens, the day was less smooth, partly due to penalty time, but he still reached the finish line in 7:13:30.
SSVs: Keppens Stays Consistent
In the SSV category, Keppens / Keppens once again showed strength, posting an impressive 3:31:00. Lolkema / Peters completed the stage with a time of 4:57:55.
Team Van der Valk Struggles
Team Van der Valk had a difficult day that didn’t start as they had hoped. They eventually reached the finish line with a total stage time of 8:00:00, causing them to lose ground in the standings.
The Grand Finale Through Merzouga
The rally is nearing its conclusion, and the field has thinned considerably. Technical issues and crashes have led to several withdrawals over the past few days. On Saturday, the decisive sixth stage awaits, featuring the famous dunes of Merzouga. Especially for the bikers, a tough challenge lies ahead, as they will have to conquer the highest dune just before the finish.
