Stage 2 Bisha ↔ 48hrs

We are going straight into the 48 hour race and now have to hold on for two days, persevere and reach the finish line in Bisha again tomorrow.

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Stage 3 →

ℹ️ Route info ℹ️

After the first day of this stage, competitors need to camp in one of the campsites they reach in 16 hours maximum time.

Liaison

91 km

Special Stage (48 hours)

967 km

📝 Day 1/2 📝

BISHA – The first day of the 48-hour stage started very well for Team de Rooy FPT. Aleš Loprais drove top times throughout the day and arrived at the bivouac in second place. Vaidotas Žala also joined the fight at the front and arrived at the bivouac in third place. Anja van Loon, together with her brothers Jan and Ben van de Laar, suffered some damage on the way but still managed to stay in the top five for a long time.

The first part of the 48-hour stage with 967 kilometers of special stage was about getting as far as possible and staying out of trouble. Racing was allowed until 17:00. After that, each vehicle had to find the nearest one ahead of the six so-called break zones.

“For us it was a normal day at the Dakar”, team manager Henk van Leuven looked back with satisfaction. “The start of the race was rocky. Anja had a puncture there. She also had a small technical problem with one of the hubs on the Iveco, but it was fixed at the first stop. After that, she was able to drive well again.”

Front of the Pack

“Loprais and Žala drove full throttle all day. We are in the front of the pack, and the maintenance of the trucks hasn’t found anything special. So, we are satisfied with the first day of the 48-hour stage.”

📝 Day 2/2 📝

BISHA – The excellent first day of the Dakar Rally’s 48-hour stage on Sunday was followed by an equally excellent day on Monday for Team de Rooy FPT. Aleš Loprais and Vaidotas Žala finished the stage in second and third place among the trucks, respectively, in the same position they had arrived at the makeshift bivouac in the desert the day before. Anja van Loon even improved her performance. She was 11th on Sunday but crossed the finish line in Bisha one day later in eighth place.

“Overall, Team de Rooy FPT did a good job during the 48-hour stage”, said team manager Henk van Leuven from the bivouac. “The trucks held up perfectly. As a team, we are very optimistic.”

Just a detail

For all three drivers, the Iveco Powerstar proved to be a potent, solid, and reliable vehicle in the Saudi desert. The fact that Loprais of Instatrade Team de Rooy FPT suffered a puncture was just a detail, as was the fact that the Czech and his crew lost some time because they missed a waypoint. The difference to the stage winner and defending champion Martin Macík was only 9:43 minutes.

Henk van Leuven, team manager: “Aleš is getting to know the truck better and better, so his confidence is growing, and he can gradually increase the pace. That gives us perspective. The same goes for Žala, who is doing the rally in a truck for the first time this year. He is learning the difference between a rally car and a rally truck. He said before that he would be satisfied with a place in the top five. So, for him to finish third now is beyond expectations.”

The Lithuanian from Skuba Team de Rooy FPT, 18:52 minutes behind Macík, also limited the damage.

Aleš Loprais

David Křípal

Darek Rodewald

Especially Loprais is in good shape. The Instatrade Loprais Team de Rooy FPT driver and his crew, David Křípal and Darek Rodewald, showed their speed all day long by driving in the top three of the intermediate times. The trio finally arrived at the bivouac for the night at kilometer 546, second among the trucks and 3:05 minutes behind last year’s winner, Martin Macík and his crew.

Team de Rooy FPT Keeps Up the Pace and Scores Top Results in Dakar Rally’s 48-Hour Stage

Progress

Vaidotas Žala

Paulo Fiuza

Max van Grol

Žala of Skuba Team de Rooy FPT and his crew Paulo Fiuza and Max van Grol also had a successful first day. On the second dat they picked up the pass and came in on a staggering 3rd place with only 18m52s behind.

The Lithuanian showed excellent speed in the Saudi desert. He arrived at the bivouac in third place, 24:03 minutes behind Macík.

613 Fried van de Laar Racing Team de Rooy FPT

Anja van Loon and her brothers Ben and Jan van de Laar showed convincing speed.

Despite some bad luck on the way, they were in the top five for a long time.

After 491 kilometers of the 967-kilometer stage, the Fried van de Laar Racing Team de Rooy FPT is in eleventh place, 1:42:09 behind Macík.

Tribute

Anja van Loon

Jan van de Laar

Ben van de Laar

Van Loon undoubtedly shared the upbeat mood in the Team de Rooy camp. The Fried van de Laar Racing Team de Rooy FPT driver showed with her eighth place that she and her brothers, Jan and Ben van de Laar, are also in good shape. Van Leuven: “Anja, Ben and Jan are giving their all. This Dakar is a tribute to their late father, Fried. They are doing it in a very nice way.”

A rain shortened third stage awaits Team de Rooy FPT on Tuesday. The stage will run from Bisha to Al Henakiyah over 466 kilometers, including a 327-kilometer special.