De Rooy full throttle through first stage in Mauritania
In 1.47.22 Gerard de Rooy finished the 211 kilometres of the sixth stage of the Africa Eco Race. With his average speed of 118 he really could not match the 144 km/h that Mathieu Serradori got with his buggy. De Rooy added 19.56 to the Frenchman.
In the first test in Mauritania, the pedal was pushed to the metal again, just like in the stages in Morocco. De Rooy had hoped those fast tracks were behind him. “Fortunately, there were a few bad pieces and it was less boring than the last stage before the rest day, but again this was indeed not an ideal test for the trucks.”
The average speed of De Rooy was somewhat tempered by a quick stop on the way. “An oil lamp went on. We had to check that, but it was nothing.”
The participants in the Africa Eco Race this morning moved in column across the Mauritanian border. Petronas Team De Rooy Iveco was the first to cross the border, which meant that Gerard de Rooy had to wait a few hours before he could start the special stage. “Time enough to take a nap,” he said when he arrived in the bivouac near Chami.
Tomorrow the first part of the marathon stage will be on the program. After a special of 486 kilometres, the participants return to Chami, but the vehicles must be parked in a parc fermé that is forbidden for the service crews.
