
Stage 12 Shubaytah π π
The time has come to zoom out and enjoy a mass start, watching the cavalry charge down the desert at full gallop βat least on some stretchesβ, ready to sink their sabres into their prizes.
π Team de Rooy FPT finishes with a bang: π
Another stage win!
SHUBAYTAH – Team de Rooy FTP finished the Dakar Rally on Friday in magnificent fashion. AleΕ‘ Loprais won the last stage, his fifth stage victory in twelve stages. He finished the rally in third place in the overall truck standings. Vaidotas Ε½ala and his crew underlined the the teamβs speed by finishing third in the stage in their Iveco. The Lithuanian, a truck debutant, finished fifth in the final classification. The third truck, driven by Anja van Loon, finished ninth in the stage and eighth in the final standings.
601 Instatrade Loprais Team de Rooy FPT
Third place in the overall standings was, unfortunately, one place lower than hoped for. But Loprais could be proud that he and his InstaTrade Team de Rooy FPT crew had the same number of stage wins as overall winner Martin MacΓk, who extended his title.
Third place in the overall standings was, unfortunately, one place lower than hoped for. But Loprais could be proud that he and his InstaTrade Team de Rooy FPT crew had the same number of stage wins as overall winner Martin MacΓk, who extended his title.
βWe crossed the finish line in a good position and took five stage wins. We should be grateful for thatβ, said the InstaTrada Team de Rooy FPT rider shortly after the finish in Shubaytah.
βI would like to thank our families and all those who have always prayed for us and the team who have worked hard on this machine. My dream is still to win the Dakar one day and I believe that dreams do come true.β
605 Skuba Team de Rooy FPT

Anja van Loon, Ben, and Jan van de Laar
proud of their finish in a tough Dakar Rally
Mass start
The final stage for the trucks was marked by the mass start, with the trucks roaring into the desert in groups of four. On the 61-kilometer special in the region around the finish town of Shubaytah it was a matter of seconds between Loprais and his rival for second place, Mitchel van den Brink. Loprais won this duel by ten seconds. In the end, the difference between the two was 5:30 minutes.
Third place in the overall standings was, unfortunately, one place lower than hoped for. But Loprais could be proud that he and his InstaTrade Team de Rooy FPT crew had the same number of stage wins as overall winner Martin MacΓk, who extended his title.
Anja van Loon, together with her brothers Jan and Ben van de Laar on behalf of the Fried van de Laar Racing Team de Rooy FPT, enjoyed this special way of finishing the rally. βI liked it, going into the desert with four trucks. And it went well, it was a tough test, but we finished ninth, so that was good. The goal was to finish, and we did that.β
Varied driving
βWe drove a really good rally. We drove in varying ways, and it worked really well. We were able to use each other’s strengths during the rally. But how hard it was, so many stones in the first week and the dunes in the last days. We really enjoyed it.β

She and her brothers had set themselves the goal of finishing in the top ten. With eighth place in the final standings, they succeeded. Van Loon: βBut the most important thing was that we did it for our mom and dad. How incredibly proud they would be if they could have seen this. They were really with us, and without them, we could never have done this.β
π The End of this edition π
This stage concludes this edition of the Dakar rally 2025, we will be looking back on with much satisfaction and plenty of “homework” for our developers and mechanics.
π Stage 12 Results π
After 61 km of special stage today
Stage Rank | Number | Driver | Time | Gap to first |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 601 | Ales Loprais | 1h04m23s | – |
3 | 605 | Vaidotas Ε½ala | 1h06m42s | +2m19s |
9 | 613 | Anja van Loon | 1h16m32s | +12m09s |
π Overall positions π
After finishing Stage 12 Shubaytah
Rank | Number | Driver | Time | Gap to first | Penalty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 600 | Martin Macik | 58h42m58s | – | – |
2 | 602 | Mitchel van den Brink | 61h04m11s | +2h21m13s | +2m00s |
3 | 601 | Ales Loprais | 61h09m41s | +2h26m43s | – |
5 | 605 | Vaidotas Ε½ala | 66h00m22s | +7h17m24s | +2m10s |
9 | 613 | Anja van Loon | 73h44m58s | +15h02m00 | +3h30m00s |
π· Photos π·
Waiting for photos…
Thanks to our photographers on site @Fotop @Rallymaniacs @MMProductions @Actiongraphers
π₯ Videos π₯
On finish podium:
#601 Instatrade Loprais Team de Rooy FPT
On finish podium:
#605 Skuba Team de Rooy FPT
On finish podium:
#613 Fried van de Laar Racing Team de Rooy FPT
Interview:
Vaidotas Zala
Final prizing ceremony:
Truck category top 3