Familiar faces in a legendary truck 1

The Dutch Rainbow Truck Team has been in the Dakar Rally for several years now, but for 2018 the team has undergone a kind of make-over. The Ginaf truck was changed for a MAN -a very special one- while the crew has seen some changes as well. For the first time the owner of the team, Gerrit Zuurmond, is no longer the navigator in the truck, but the driver. The man with the roadbook is a familiar face as well: former motorbike competitor Jasper Riezebos. After one year absence mechanic Klaas Kwakkel makes his return in the third seat. Even more special is the truck. The MAN has a remarkable history in the Dakar as this is the one Hans Stacey won the last African edition with in 2007. A few years later it was in the hands of Pascal de Baar in the VEKA MAN-team, serving as fast assistance in 2012 and 2013, and now the legendary truck will make its return to the competition with Rainbow.

G.Z.: “After a few years as co-pilot I wanted to give it a go as a driver, especially since I have bought the MAN, a truck I’ve been fond of for years. We’ve tried it in the Morocco Desert Challenge in the spring and that was a success. Moving from the navigator’s seat to the driver’s seat is quite a change, but I’m really looking forward to it.” J.R.: “Last year on the Dakar I had to abandon from the race due to a serious infection. It quite scared me, to be honest, because as a bike rider -and especially in the malle-moto class- you’re all on your own. In the truck things like this can happen as well, but you’re not alone. It’s been an interesting change and I had to get used to reading the notes out loud. On the bike you read the roadbook and act without having to think about it, but in the truck you don’t act yourself: you have to let the driver act. Luckily Gerrit has been a navigator himself and he knows the drill. When necessary he can have a look at the roadbook himself – which he did already on the first day in Morocco because he didn’t believe me. Luckily I was right.”