The De Rooy team, winners of the 2016 Dakar rally truck class, are going for gold again in the world’s toughest race, driving on standard Goodyear Offroad ORD tyres.
Gerard De Rooy and his team have chosen Goodyear Offroad ORD truck tyres for their four race trucks and Goodyear Omnitrac mixed service tyres for their service trucks. The team is aiming for repeated success after last year’s win with the long-term dedicated support of the leading tyre manufacturer further providing testing and back-up.
The line-up for the 2017 De Rooy team equipped with Goodyear truck tyres comprises:
Gerard De Rooy – Two times Dakar truck class winner (2012 & 2016) – driving an Iveco Powerstar 4X4
Fredrico Villagra – 3rd in his first Dakar in 2016 – driving an Iveco Powerstar 4X4
Ton Van Genugten – 5th in Dakar 2016 – driving an Iveco Trakker.
Wuf Van Ginkel – New Member – with twelve previous Dakars and finished 4rd in 2007 – driving an Iveco Trakker.
Watch last year’s highlights of De Rooy racing the winning Iveco truck below.
The four race trucks will compete on standard Goodyear 375/90R22.5 Offroad ORD tyres as will all the fast service assistance trucks, while the other service trucks will use Goodyear 315/80R22.5 Omnitrac MSS II and Omnitrac MSD II truck tyres, mounted on the steer and drive axles respectively.
The team, in close cooperation with engineers from the Goodyear Innovation Center Luxembourg , was able to achieve the best setup to optimize tyre performance in all the varied conditions the race trucks will face during the Dakar 2017. Following the great performance of the Goodyear tyres in the Dakar 2016, the team decided to rely on standard Goodyear Omnitrac mixed service truck tyres for their rally service vehicles.
“The Goodyear Offroad ORD 375/90R22.5 off-the-road truck tyres are fantastic and were a key element in us winning the 2016 event. We have had incredible technical support from Goodyear engineers and this is why we have chosen Goodyear again as our tyre partner for what is without doubt the toughest test for truck tyres in the world. We are confident that this continued partnership will give us the necessary traction and reliability to ensure we can win again in 2017,” said Gerard De Rooy.
The first stage of the rally starts in Asuncion, Paraguay on 2 January 2017. From there the more than 550 trucks, cars and motorcycles cross into Bolivia, driving as far north as La Pax, and then down into Argentina where the event ends in Buenos Aries on 14 January. The Dakar comprises a total of 12 stages covering over 8,500 kilometers of the most challenging terrain including deserts, high mountains and rocks.
See more on the coming Dakar Rally here.