The 2013 Dakar Rally ends after 8,000 kilometers through South America without another victory for Dutch sporadic Rallycrosser Gerard de Rooy.

With his Iveco truck former winner Gerard de Rooy finished 4th overall in the Dakar Rally in Santiago de Chile yesterday. In this year’s event, the 5th edition organised on the South American continent, competitors travelled 8,000 kilometers through deserts and over dunes in Peru, Argentina and Chile. Last year’s winner de Rooy, son of Rallycross legend “Ome” [Uncle] Jan de Rooy, started the Dakar on a high level, with a number 1 position after the first week. But he had to overcome technical problems in the second week.

De Rooy, who won the prestigious Rally Raid in 2012, had set his ambitions even higher for this year. A one-two-three finish in the truck category was his aim. Therefore, no less than five Iveco race trucks had been prepared in Holland. One of them was driven by double World Rally Champion Massimo “Miki” Biasion from Italy. The team, about 40 people in total, was managed by his 68-years-old father Jan, who won the Truck category of “The Dakar” himself in 1987. After the finish a disappointed Gerard de Rooy summed the event up: “Seven stage wins, three second and six third places. What should I say? We had the perfect truck and physically everything went also well. But eventually – no prizes!”

Photo: Gerard de Rooy en route to 4th place in the 2013 Dakar. © Dakar Team de Rooy