“The T1+ category is the Dakar’s Champions League!”
En bref
- Janus van Kasteren Junior has been racing since he was young, from karting to rallycross. He competed in his first rally-raid in 2012 in Morocco. It was in a buggy, before buying a DAF truck and training for a few years. His first Dakar opportunities came in 2018 and 2019, when he was asked by the Mammoet Rallysport Team to compete. Some technical problems prevented him from finishing.
- After joining the prestigious Team De Rooy, he became one of the main contenders. He won the truck category in 2023, becoming the fourth Dutch driver to do so after Jan de Rooy (1987), Hans Stacey (2007) and Gerard de Rooy (2012, 2016).
- The owner of Boss Machinery -a major company that buys and sells heavy machinery- decided that it was time to write a new chapter in his racing career. The 2026 edition will be his seventh Dakar, but his first in an Ultimate car: a Century CR7 managed by his own private team. New responsibilities and a huge challenge, perhaps his biggest one yet.
- The learning process is underway, and Janus has already done three preparation races in Morocco (two) and Poland with his navigator Marcel Snijders. He had already raced with him in 2020 and from 2022 to 2024. He’s the perfect ally for Janus, who needed an experienced navigator (and also a friend) to face this new challenge at 39 years old.
- Marcel Snijders first got involved in the Dakar through a friend. They did it in 2005 on a bike, reached the finish line, and after that he was addicted! He competed a few more times on two wheels (2007, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2019) and always reached the finish line. At 58 years old, he still rides motocross, but only as a hobby.
- It’s fair to say he’s one of the most experienced Dutch competitors. All in all, he’s done eighteen Dakar: twice in Africa, ten times in South America, and this will be his seventh time in Saudi Arabia. 2011 was his first time ‘sitting’, in a factory Mitsubishi car. He then competed in a truck, a buggy… Let’s say he knows every modality of the race!
- Contacted by Janus van Kasteren Jr., Marcel became his navigator in 2020, and their first experience proved positive (6th place in the trucks). They continued in 2022 (5th ), won in 2023, and finished just off the podium in 2024 (4th ). Marcel's experience and legendary good humor weighed heavily in Janus's decision to choose him as his trusted man for his new challenge: the Ultimate class. The Dutch navigator will have to guide him back to Yanbu, and manage his competitive spirit.
Ambition
J.v.K.: “After doing six Dakar in a truck and winning the category in 2023, I wanted to move to the T1+ class. It’s something different – a higher level against some huge teams and big factories… It’s the Dakar’s Champions League! I wanted to be part of it at least once. It’s a completely different driving style. In the truck you sit up high, you can see a lot of things, and you go up to 135 km/h. Here you're almost sitting on the ground, you can't see nearly as much, you’re faster… It's a big difference! I need to be patient and gain experience. I’m struggling a bit because I always drove to win; now I know I can’t, but I want to enjoy the race more. Believe me, I have no illusions about finishing in the Top 10 because the competition is too strong. Everyone in the Top 20 is fast. Our goal is to finish the race and to be the best Dutch competitors. We chose the Century car and the factory helped us, but we are a private team with just three people, and there‘s a lot of work to do. From booking the flights to the clothes we’ll have, everything is new! I really enjoy driving the car. Let’s say that it’s more racing than in the truck category. Marcel (Snijders) did eighteen Dakar, he’s very experienced, but also such a good guy. Everybody likes him, he has no enemies and we have a lot of laughs with him!”
M.S.: “I didn’t know Janus until seven years ago when his navigator was injured and he needed a replacement. It will be my twentieth Dakar, my sixth time in a car but the first for Janus in this category. When someone asks me: 'what would you do if you had all the money in the world?', well, I would still want to be in the car doing the Dakar! The passion is still there, and I really like navigation. In the truck you can see the bumps and you have good visibility; in a car that's not the case, so Janus will have to rely on me. Not many people switch from trucks to cars. In the trucks category, we could have fought for the podium, whereas in the car category I think we'll be around 25th place. It’s Janus‘ first year in the T1+ class so I would say to him to be tranquilo… but he’s never tranquilo, he’s always full gas! So I hope we’ll make it to the finish line. I have confidence in us and in the car. We have a professional and friendly team, which is also super nice.”
