“As firemen, you always have to work as a team”
CREW FACTS
R.D.G.
- Richard De Groot made his Dakar debut back in 2006 on a motorcycle, with remarkable statistics: 7 finish lines in 8 attempts, and 5/5 in malle-moto (without assistance)! He finally switched to the truck race in 2016, and has never looked back since.
- The Dutch entrepreneur, who works in energy, is in charge of driving the Firemen Dakar Team truck. A lot of people in the crew are firefighters, for example the mechanic Jan Hulsebosch, who has done all his Dakar with De Groot since 2017. They recently achieved three Top 10 in a row.
- For 2025, the team sold its old Iveco to buy Martin Macik’s truck, winner of the Dakar 2024! A big upgrade that could allow them to get closer to the leaders.
J.v.d.V.
- Jan was only 18 years old when he started in motorsports, first with autosport endurance. He reached his Dakar dream in 2011, creating some memorable memories driving in the dunes of Fiambala and Copiapo.
- Since he started on the race, the Belgian mechanic has competed in all but one edition (2019). And he has often fought for the podium, finishing fourth twice with Czech driver Ales Loprais (2015) and Dutch driver Hans Stacey (2016).
- Jan is a newcomer in the Firemen Dakar Team, but he has known Richard for more than ten years now! They will put their experience together in order to fight for a great result.”
2025 AMBITION
R.D.G.: “We want to do better every year so we will try to improve a few things, but we are amateurs and a small team against top-level drivers. We already finished in the Top 10, so a position between 5th and 8th would be a very good result. The Top 5 is has a too high level for us, but there will be some long and difficult stages. The harder it is, the better it can be for us: the riders fighting for victory are going to take more risks than us and can have problems. It’s good to have Jan van der Vaet with us because he’s already a very experienced navigator. As firemen, you always have to work as a team, trusting each other and knowing what each of you needs to do.”
J.v.d.V.: “Dakar 2024 was a tough edition, a race to remember because we stayed two days alone in the Empty Quarter! We made it to the finish thanks to a great teamwork. I think the 2025 edition will also be a very difficult one, like always. It’s a fight for man and machine... I hope for a place in the Top 10, as we will drive Martin Macik’s winning truck. The Firemen Dakar Team is nice and friendly, I’m very happy to join it!”