Team De Rooy with ‘four in a row’ to the podium

Four teams in the top ten is very satisfying

Stage information

While the dunes are behind us, the majority of tracks in the closing special are still sandy. Practice makes perfect and, with all the experience gained since the start of the rally, everyone is poised to enjoy this one to the fullest. However, long liaisons await the field on its way to the Red Sea coast and the final podium on the Jeddah corniche.

Todays’ stage has 516km liaison and 164km special.

Press release

JEDDAH – With four drivers in the top ten, Team De Rooy Iveco has very successfully closed the book on the Dakar Rally 2022.

A fifth place for Janus van Kasteren, the best behind four unapproachable Kamaz drivers. A sixth place for Martin van den Brink, who achieved his best result ever. An eighth place for Vick Versteijnen, who fulfilled his role as a substitute excellently. And last but not least a tenth place for Mitchel van den Brink. A fast assistant in the top ten, that can be called sensational.

After the twelfth and final stage, there were therefore only positive sounds from Team De Rooy Iveco’s camp. The last special on the way to Jeddah didn’t cause many shifts in the standings. Vick Versteijnen was one of the few who had to concede a place in the last kilometers. Seventh place was in the hands of Martin Macik. The Czech drove ‘the test of his life’ and took seventh place with a difference of 23 seconds from Vick Versteijnen, Teun van Dal and Randy Smits. “Yes, that’s how it can go in the Dakar Rally,” said a realistic Versteijnen. “No, I’m certainly not disappointed.”

On the final day, Vick did not spare the Iveco Powerstar. “We really gave everything. It was a quick test. On the sandy paths, you had to watch out for the boulders along the route. We just drove hard. Also on the narrow parts with trees. We also shattered the windshield. Yes, we gave it our all and are just 23 seconds short of Macik. Nevertheless, we are very satisfied. We had definitely signed up for this beforehand. I started untrained and unprepared. Had never driven the new truck. Also for Randy it was the first time in the truck competition. Like Teun, he did a great job. It was alright in the cabin. I look back with satisfaction. We had a cool rally with a good team, De Rooy,” said Vick, who finished the rally in sixth place and was therefore the fastest Dutchman.

Martin van den Brink seemed to be the fastest man of Team De Rooy. “It went well. We still gave good gas.” However, after a time penalty of two minutes, the formation in the orange colors saw the sixth place change into a ninth ranking. “We got a two-minute penalty for speeding. Yes, I drove too fast in an area where that is not allowed.” The experienced driver from Harskamp showed his speed and motivation in the 164 kilometer test. “It was nice to finish the rally as good as possible.”

Martin, Peter Willemsen and Bernard der Kinderen are happy to say goodbye to the event in Saudi Arabia. “I am happy with the results of the day and with what we have learned about the truck. Sixth place is my best place in the standings. So yes, I am very satisfied,” said Martin, who has completed his fourteenth Dakar Rally. “In addition, I am of course very proud of the achievements of Mitchel, Richard and Bert,” says the enthusiastic ‘Dakarist’ about the performance of his son, driving the fast assistance truck.

Mitchel van den Brink put the icing on our cake today. A tenth place, in both the last special and in the general classification resulted in sincere congratulations to the 20-year-old Harskamper. “It went pretty tough today. We pushed to the very limit and hit a few twigs and bushes here and there, so the truck did not arrive at the finish unscathed. We have broken a windscreen and made some dents here and there” said a smiling Mitchel, who made an excellent performance as a quick assistant in Petronas Team De Rooy Iveco.

The tenth position in the final standings is beyond all expectations and gives hope for the sporting future. “We are very happy with a tenth position overall. Everyone from team de Rooy was waiting for us at the finish. That was a really nice reception with many celebrations. We are now going to wash the truck and go to the podium with a satisfied feeling. I look back on this edition with fond memories. After a few minor problems in the first week, the following week went great, we adapted very well to the ever changing situations. The collaboration with Richard Mouw and Bert van Donkelaar was perfect. I look forward to working with them in the future some more.”

Janus van Kasteren, Marcel Snijders and Darek Rodewald cherished their fifth place in the standings today, right behind defending champion Sotnikov and his loyal lieutenants Nikolaev, Shibalov and Karginov. Without bad luck in the Russian camp, Petronas Team de Rooy Iveco was unable to make any progress in overtaking them. The 35-year-old driver from Veldhoven didn’t have much to gain and played an important role in today’s team tactics. Van Kasteren started just ahead of teammate Vick Versteijnen and cleared the way to give Vick free space and to make it less affected by the dust. “After the start, we quickly moved to the side. We left Vick ahead of us and waited for the dust to settle a bit, but Loprais arrived by then too and created a lot of dust. Then we brought the truck home in one piece and completed this stage calmly. All three of us are really happy with fifth place. As mentioned earlier; there’s nothing more to it at the moment. We are happy as can be”

However, the driven Van Kasteren does not simply resign himself to an ol on the second plan. The future is already calling for attention in his head. “We are going to celebrate this result first, but I am already thinking about next year. I’m going to try to drive a little more and we know what needs to be done to improve the trucks,” said Janus, indicating that the Dakar is not yet finished with the “Big Boss from Brabant.”

The men of Team De Rooy are on the podium in Jeddah during this afternoon to receive their honorable medals. The rally team will return to the Netherlands from Saudi Arabia tomorrow.

Stage results

Results for today

Stage Rank	Number	Driver	Time	Gap to first
6	515	Vick Vertseijnen	1h48m05s	+5m24s
9	506	Martin van den Brink	1h50m00s	+7m19s (+2m00s penalty)
10	524	Mitchel van den Brink	1h51m30s	+8m49s
13	504	Janus van Kasteren	1h55m52s	+13m11s

Video

Another great episode of ‘Bivak Brabant Dakar’ presented by Omroep Brabant

Photos