Iveco wins the 2023 Dakar Rally with the Boss Machinery De Rooy and Eurol De Rooy teams
Iveco took part in the 45th edition of the Dakar Rally with two new teams that once again demonstrated the performance, power and reliability of their vehicles, placing two trucks (powered by FPT Industrial engines) on the podium in the general classification.
The most awaited adventure of the year, i.e. the 45th edition of the Dakar Rally, the most challenging since the competition landed in Saudi Arabia, has concluded victoriously for the new Iveco teams. The pilots passed this test of endurance in extreme conditions with flying colors, driving more than 8,500 km over rough terrain and vast expanses of desert dunes. On his fourth Dakar Rally, Janus van Kasteren Jr relied on his experience to achieve consistent performances and collect several podium finishes up to the top step of the final standings. Behind him came Dakar Rally veteran and legend Martin van den Brink, who finished third.
His son and teammate Mitchel van den Brink drove amazingly, earning several second places and becoming the youngest winner in the special stages thanks to the first place conquered in the sixth stage and finishing the competition in fourth position.
The two teams got off to a successful start already in the prologue, achieving excellent positions on the starting grid for the first stage with the Iveco Powerstars powered by Cursor 13 engines specially developed by FPT Industrial. Unfortunately, Vick Versteijnen was forced to retire on the fourth day of racing. The other three crews continued to brave the desert heat and rain to reach the podium steps at each stage of the race.
Fabio Santiago, Head of Marketing and Product Management Iveco Truck Business Unit, said: “We are very satisfied with the results achieved by our teams and our Iveco Powerstars, although the victory was overshadowed by what happened during the ninth stage: we address first of all our thoughts and our solidarity with all the people involved. Despite this, we cannot fail to express our gratitude to the drivers, who pushed themselves and their vehicles to the maximum, delivering extraordinary performances in the most challenging of the Dakar Rallys held in Saudi Arabia. We are extremely proud of our crews, who have faced this challenge with grit and determination and brought our trucks to victory”.
