“We have a very good chance this year”

Victor Versteijnen returns to Dakar looking to improve upon his top ten finish from last year, a result achieved despite having had very little time to prepare for the event. A last minute stand-in for the unwell Hans Stacey, Versteijnen nevertheless rallied to a career best eighth by the finish and comes into the 2023 Dakar - his third with the Boss Machinery Team De Rooy Iveco team - with his sights set higher.

V.V.: “This will be my third year at Team De Rooy and this time I have my own people and my own mechanic, which I have known for a long time, plus my navigator Teun van Dahl has been a friend of mine since I was five years-old.
“I have a very good feeling for this. In 2020 we had some technical problems, then last year I wasn’t going to drive because I had a new child. But at the very last moment they called up and four days before the Dakar Rally started I jumped on a plane. We got to eighth place last year, which was the best result ever. I was very happy with that.
“It has been a dream to compete in this team and the truck is prepared very well, so I think we have a very good chance this year.”


T.V.D.: “The Dakar has been my dream since a young boy. My first was in 2015 when I went as team manager for Vic. We did 2015, 2016 and 2017, then in 2018 I moved into the truck as navigator. I also drive in some local rallies, WRC-style, so not only cross country.
“I’ve known Vic since I was 5 or 6. We did some motocross and other offroad sports together. It's great to sit next to Vic in the truck because we know each other so well. Andre our mechanic has also been with us since 2013 so we’re a really tight-knit, smooth working team.
“The truck competition is definitely more open this year because Kamaz won’t participate, which gives us more chance to fight for the podium. Team Rooy have been preparing together all year, including tests in Morocco and the South of France, so we really feel ready.”


A.V.D.S.: “This is my fourth Dakar and second time with Victor. We are real friends and all three of us make a good team in the cabin. We really understand each other. As the mechanic, one of my main jobs is to prepare the truck before the event. It’s been hard work, but nice. Everything has gone well. One of the toughest things for the mechanics during the Dakar is that the nights can be short, because at the end of each day we need to prepare the truck for the next stage.”