Stage 7 Riyadh → Al Duwadimi

A tough stage with 390 km liaison and 483 km special stage

← Rest day

Stage 8 →

Press releases

Boss Machinery Team de Rooy FPT

Janus Jr., Marcel and Darek had a tough day driving through the big dunes today. The truck handled properly but due to some wear and tear in the driveline they had lost a little power. This made driving uphill even harder then in the days that came before but they still managed to keep a good pace.

After halfway through the stage they punctured a tire due to sharp rocks on the route, and it needed to be replaced quickly. Also, the axle and driveline was starting to wear down even more and even bolts had to be replaced to keep on racing. All three tackled these “minor hiccups” like professionals and managed to keep on going with the best pace possible.

Then it became after dark and the pitch black dunes made it almost impossible to keep a fast pace. So they drove with safety in mind, but also as fast a possible to still make it to the finish line in time.

After some liaison they are finally back in the bivouac. Now it is time for our excellent team of mechanics to replace some parts, maintain her and get the truck back on track for the next stage of the toughest race on the planet.

Becx Competition Team de Rooy FPT

Michiel Becx, Edwin Kuijpers and Wuf van Ginkel started this 7th stage with bad luck. After 4km the steering mechanism broke down, which made steering impossible.

Then, with all three men, they had to make proper and quick repairs to make sure that they can finish the stage to keep competing in the race. After about two hours they made a proper solution to start their journey of 483 km special stage in the enormous dunes.

Their reparations were a great success and the steering and handling of the truck were back to its original form. Therefore they picked up the pace and drove along with proper speed. After 150km a branch caused the front windshield to break and shatter completely.

With no front window, they had to keep on racing and the whole cabine and crew got a continued flow of sand and dust everywhere.

Special thanks to Rallymaniacs for these photos

Because of early repairs and late start, it was getting dark too soon. In the pitch black dunes they had to stop for a minute to recalibrate the lights, otherwise it was too dangerous to drive through them. With much less speed in the dark they only needed to race for 40km, luckily.

All in all this was a very tough day and the men, and truck, are in great need of a good shower and wash. Sand, dirt and dust gets everywhere when the front window is missing 😬

Ladies Team de Rooy FPT

Ladies win some time in the dark thanks to great skills

The seventh stage of the Dakar Rally was a difficult one for Anja van Loon, Floor Maten and Marije van Ettekoven. The ladies finished 8th and finished in the dark. Thanks to Anja’s driving skills and the navigation skills of Floor and Marije, they gained time on the competition and were satisfied at the finish.

The teamwork of the three ladies paid off today. “This was truly a team effort. So many stones again and many difficult parts, but I got through it well. The navigation was sometimes really difficult, but Floor and Marije did very well together. We complement each other well and that really saved time today.”

The ladies team finished in the dark. “It was a very long stage and we started quite late, so there were only a few trucks at the finish in daylight. Then it becomes even more difficult, but we had no problems with that today. The 8th fastest time is simply a very good result, wonderful!”

Yesterday Anja, Floor and Marije were surprised by the organization. “On the rest day, several medals were awarded, for the fastest motorcycle and car so far and for a participant under 30. We received the medal for the best Dakar spirit, the ‘dare’ medal. We got this because we are in the Iveco with three women and we really hold our own on the road. Very nice and we didn’t expect that.”