ℹ️ Prologue route info ℹ️

The engines will roar to life for a test of pure racing skills. The timer will start ticking on hard terrain, with wide dirt and gravel tracks interspersed with technical sections where every inch counts.

Just a handful of seconds will separate the leaders at the end of the opener, but the importance of this challenge should not be underestimated, as the top 10 entrants in the FIM and FIA fields will get to pick their starting order for the next day.

Satisfactory Prologue for Team de Rooy FPT at 47th Dakar Rally

BISHA – Team De Rooy FPT had a good prologue among the trucks at the Dakar Rally. Vaidotas Žala finished second behind Mitchel van den Brink in the ultra-short stage with a special of only 29 kilometers. Aleš Loprais, second in last year’s edition, had to settle for sixth place and Anja van Loon was ninth.

Short but intense 

The prologue near Bisha was short but intense. The drivers had to be on their toes from the start on a varied course with fast gravel roads and some technical sections. The differences between the top drivers remained small, but the performances were crucial for tomorrow’s starting positions.

“Then we will really start, even if we are still more or less getting to know each other”, said the 42-year-old navigator, referring to the fact that the Loprais team will start in this composition for the first time.

Ales Loprais

David Kripal

Darek Rodewald

David Křípal, navigator of the Instatrade Loprais Team de Rooy FPT, spoke afterward about the first encounter with the route. “We’re glad that it’s over because the course was pretty broken in some places”, he said after returning to the bivouac. 

“We’ll really get going tomorrow, even though we’re still getting to know each other more or less,” the 42-year-old navigator recalls, referring to the fact that Loprais’ crew is starting in this composition for the very first time.

“But from my point of view, the crew is already working perfectly and so is the car. We’re trying to find its limit, but we don’t want to take unnecessary risks, because in the beginning – and especially in the prologue – you can practically gain nothing, but you can easily lose a lot. In any case, we’re already looking forward to tomorrow!”

605 Skuba Team de Rooy FPT

With a good start in this short special stage of the prologue. Vaidotas and crew were very satisfied with the handling of the truck, and are up for more in the first “real” Dakar stage…

Vaidotas Žala

Paulo Fiuza

Max van Grol

All crew members are experienced and are getting real familiar with their race truck. Expectations are running high while the men prepare for tomorrow: Stage 1.

Van Loon Racing happy that Dakar 2025 has begun

📈 Excellent start 📈

Anja van Loon

Ben van de Laar

Jan van de Laar

With the prologue behind them, the Dakar Rally has officially begun. Erik van Loon and Hein Verschuuren were the best in the H4 class, while Anja van Loon, Jan and Ben van de Laar were satisfied with the ninth time just over a minute from Mitchel van den Brink.

Anja thought the prologue of the Dakar was a great opening. “It was an excellent start to the rally. We were able to drive fast. The tracks were already deep though and the last part we were bothered by the dust. I am totally happy that it has started!”

The differences were small among the trucks. With the Iveco Powerstar, Anja, Jan and Ben finished ninth at 1 minute and 8 seconds behind. “That’s just an excellent result, the gap for us is 12 seconds, but we have a lead of 43 seconds. We started well, so we may start a little further forward tomorrow.”

📷 Photos 📷

Thanks to our photographers on site @Fotop @Rallymaniacs @MMProductions@Actiongraphers

🎥 Videos 🎥

601 on start podium
during Prologue

Anja van Loon, Jan en Ben van de Laar on the start podium

Vaidotas Zala on the start podium