The fourth stage of the 2025 Tuareg Rallye took participants once again around Mhamid. Although the route was one of the shortest on paper this week, it turned out to be a serious challenge due to a mix of navigation errors, dunes, and fast tracks. Especially the beginning of the stage caused confusion: several competitors got lost right after the start due to tricky navigation.
The field is thinning out: Misfortune for Olthof and Schek
The rally is starting to take its toll. After a strong opening, rally leader Maxi Schek was forced to retire following a heavy crash in the dunes. The same fate befell Dutchman Ian Olthof, who took a nasty fall on Stage 3.
“Things were going great until I misjudged a dune because of the sun. The result: a serious drop and three broken ribs. Rally over for me,” Olthof explained. He is returning home to recover but is already looking ahead to his next rally.
Robert van Pelt takes stage win in the bikes
It was a celebration day for the Dutch riders in the motorcycle class. Robert van Pelt clocked the fastest time of the day with 2:02:36. After some earlier misfortune, he showed that his form is still on point. His father, Rob van Pelt, followed closely with a time of 2:27:36, while Wouter de Graaff (2:35:34) and Martijn van der Laan (2:33:28) also held their own in the tough conditions.
Memo Tours, the Dutch service team that supports many riders, celebrated the stage win with a wink, as Robert van Pelt’s stage winner’s trophy ended up in the hands of mechanic Frank.
Team Broomans back on track
In the car category, Team Broomans managed to complete their day without issues after earlier technical setbacks. They posted a respectable time of 5:34:17.
“We had a great drive, nothing crazy. Well, except maybe unnecessarily climbing the highest dune in the area” the team joked.
Consistent on four wheels
In the SSV class, Keppens / Keppens delivered another solid performance with a time of 2:23:28, while Lolkema / Peters finished the day in 4:18:37, including some penalty time.
In the 4×4 class, Team van der Valk kept things smooth and trouble-free, clocking a time of 2:14:33.
A rally in motion
Halfway through the week, it is clear that the Tuareg Rallye is not just a race against the clock but also against the terrain and one’s physical limits. More and more competitors are dropping out or continue despite damage.
Today, Stage 5 follows — the penultimate stage — in which competitors will leave Mhamid and head back towards Erfoud.
