📝 Team de Rooy FPT again rock solid in the Dakar Rally; victory for Loprais in ninth stage! 📝

🏆 601 Instatrade Loprais Team de Rooy FPT 🏆

“The start of the selective section was extremely fast, always at maximum speed. And because the organizers let the trucks onto the track after thirty seconds, we were driving in the dust, which was very risky at such speeds”, Loprais said. 

Extremely rocky and dusty

Ales Loprais: “The second part of the special stage was extremely rocky and dusty. David reacted perfectly in one place in the dust and thanks to that we managed to find the right exit from the canyon perfectly. Then we were flying to the finish line.”

“Overall it was challenging, but the crew was absolutely great. David shone today!”, the Czech praised his co-driver from InstaTrade Team de Rooy FPT. 

605 Skuba Team de Rooy FPT

Žala of Skuba Team de Rooy FPT was also fast on the stage from Riyadh to Haradh, showing consistent speed with second, third and third places in the last three stages.

Vaidotas Žala

Paulo Fiuza

Max van Grol

613 Fried van de Laar Racing Team de Rooy FPT

Anja van Loon was also fast on Tuesday. The Fried van de Laar Racing Team de Rooy FPT driver was even in fourth place for a while.

However, an adventure in the wrong valley cost her so much time that she and her brothers Jan and Ben van de Laar dropped back to 13th place in the daily standings. 

Anja van Loon

Jan van de Laar

Ben van de Laar

All possibilities 

Loprais’ stage win means that his closest rival, Mitchel van den Brink, is now less than five minutes behind. With three stages to go, he seems to have every chance of regaining second place. Martin Macík, the leader of the standings, is with an advantage of 2.5 hours too far ahead to be able to fight for the title. 

But you never know in the famous Empty Quarter. It’s scheduled for Wednesday. After a 500-kilometer liaison, 120 kilometers of dunes, some extremely high, await the riders.