ELFRINK Johan NLD 06/05/1957 182 cm 90 kg

ROBBE Ronald NLD 15/09/1965 187 cm 93 kg

Vehicle

MODEL	MAKE
AXOR	MERCEDES

RANKING

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
Scratch	20	12	13	12	52	-	-	9	24	31	-	-	15	12
Stage	20	12	13	12	52	-	-	9	24	31	-	35	15	12	-	-
Overall	20	13	12	11	33	-	-	33	38	34	-	31	33	32	-	-

Johan Elfrink: "Each broken part tells a story"

On two occasions in 2006 and 2007, Johan Elfrink’s truck failed to make it to the finish of the race. This year therefore, "we hope will be the good one!" says the Dutchman for whom trucks are "a hobby that is taking more and more place". The Dakar entered his life a few years ago when he sponsored a French bike rider. Coming to support him during the rally, Johan Elfrink told himself "one day, I will also do it!" Since then, Johan with his team mate Ronald who competed in his first Dakar on a bike, were able to take on the event. But each time, the two men witnessed a mechanical breakdown. “I kept in my office the different broken parts of the truck because each one has a different story to tell”, explains Johan. “I exhibit them a bit like monuments”. The Dutchman indeed explains that in 2006 while he was forced to repair his truck during a liaison, he had made it to the bivouac so late that he had been given a 40-hour time penalty. “The Dakar was like over but we continued’’, he remembers. “We helped other competitors. One day I even gave 15 litres of water to Robby Gordon who had radiator problems.” Johan and Ronald will only be two on board their Mercedes Axor, while most of the crews have three members. But he doesn’t consider this as a problem: “We have a little truck and in the dunes we have to be light”, believes Johan. “Ronald is a very good navigator and I built the truck myself, I know all its parts, so I don’t really need a mechanic”.

Dakar start photos on line: www.maindruphoto.com

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