“I’ve been involved since I was young”

With a driver that’s 20 years-old and a mechanic that’s 23, the Euro Team De Rooy Iveco squad certainly has youth on its side for two-thirds of the line-up, with driver Mitchel van der Brink following in his father’s footsteps with near-neighbour Jarno van de Pol acting as mechanic. Bringing experience to the table is co-driver Moi Torrallardona, who points out that his age is more than the combined ages of his two team-mates!

M.v.d.B.: “My father started the Dakar in 2008 and since then I’ve had an interest. I’ve been involved in working on the project and especially in the technical aspects since I was young. I would test the trucks as a mechanic, but also driving them since I was 14. I'm really happy to participate with the new Iveco. We tested in Morocco and it’s a comfortable truck, so I'm looking forward to making the most of our new engine in this truck.
This will be my first time as an independent driver as before I was part of the assistance crew, so had to be behind my team-mates. Now I can go for my own results so this will be interesting. I know Jarno very well as he lives close to my house and he’s often in our workshop. Moi, I met on the last Dakar. We have spent two weeks together in Morocco. He's a very nice guy and he's very experienced, so I have a lot of trust in him.”


J.v.d.P.: “As a mechanic I have a lot of experience, but not as a mechanic in the truck. So many things are new, but we did some testing in Morocco and honestly, everything felt great. There will be a lot of work to do -it’s not just about sitting next to my team-mates and paying attention to the tyre pressures! I’ve been working on my physical condition and making sure I know everything I can about the truck so I’m as prepared as I can be for this great event.”

M.T.: “It's going to be my 14th or 15th Dakar, but I’ve never contested the event in Saudi Arabia, just South Africa and South America. It's a great challenge for me to do Saudi because everything is different, so I’m looking forward to it. I've worked with the team in different roles over the years. I know Mitchel’s father well and I know Jarno. We’ve been testing together, myself and two young guys whose combined age is less than mine! They might be very young, but they are really, really good. I don't feel like a father as they are very, very nice guys and very mature in their approach. I feel confident with them.”