VAN VLIET Marcel NLD 07/10/1970 190 cm 95 kg

VAANHOLT Herman NLD 06/11/1961 184 cm 90 kg

VAN VEENENDAAL Gerard NLD 25/08/1967 190 cm 105 kg

Vehicle

MODEL	MAKE
X2222	GINAF

RANKING

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
Scratch	1	3	61	30	12	13	-	6	11	22	-	8	6	5
Stage	1	3	61	30	12	13	-	6	11	22	-	8	6	5	-	-
Overall	1	3	41	37	19	14	-	15	14	16	-	12	12	11	-	-

Marcel Van Vliet: “Yes, we can”

Taking off in a truck on the Dakar without huge experience doesn’t mean one shouldn’t be ambitious. The Van Vliet - Vaanhoolt - Van Veenendaal crew accumulates 13 Dakar races, including… only 3 in a truck. Indeed the driver has raced 2 of his 3 rallies in a car. The mechanic Gerard Van Veenendaal has done half of his 4 Dakars in the assistance. And concerning the navigator, Herman Vaanholt, he’s done all 6 of his Dakars in a car. But this slight inexperience doesn’t seem to worry the Dutch crew. “The navigation in a truck is very similar to the one in a car, it’s the same approach”, explains Herman Vaanholt who after 6 Dakars in a car has learnt the subtleties of co-driving a truck during the last 6 months. The difference seems to be at a physical level says driver Marcel Van Vliet: “All that I know is that it will be painful. Physically, the Dakar in a truck is tough. You feel the bumps a lot more than in a car”. Difficulty is what Herman Vaanholt wants: “the harder it is the better for us. We have a very competitive team that should allow us to overcome more obstacles that the other competitors”. An identical confidence as Marcel Van Vliet’s although he has never driven with his two partners: “Our truck is better than last year. The goal is to place one of the trucks of the team on the podium, if possible on the highest step”. And when asked if his crew can win the rally, he answers without hesitation: “Yes, we can”. A lucky slogan these past months…

Dakar start photos on line: www.maindruphoto.com

»