Iveco bares Dakar fangs

Iveco and sister CNH Industrial firm FPT Industrial have once again backed Team Petronas De Rooy Iveco to contest the Dakar Rally

A recent press conference in Turin, Italy, saw the presentation of Team Petronas De Rooy Iveco – a top-tier rally raid outfit that is once again set to do battle in the Dakar Rally.

Sponsored by Iveco and FPT Industrial, companies both owned by parent firm CNH Industrial, the team will be campaigning three race trucks in the gruelling 2015 event: two Powerstar models and a Trakker 4x4.

The Powerstars – both Strator prototypes – are built in the Netherlands but feature a chassis, driveline and cab inspired by the Australian-built production truck, while the Trakker 4x4 is manufactured in Spain.

The vehicles feature ZF gearboxes and FPT Industrial 'Cursor 13' engines, the latter an in-line six-cylinder turbo-diesel unit that produces up to 900hp.

Team captain Gerard De Rooy finished second in the 2014 Dakar and he'll be looking to go one better next month. The Dutchman will drive truck #501, assisted by navigator Jurgen Damen (Belgium) and mechanic Darek Rodewald (Netherlands).

The #504 truck will be driven by Hans Stacey (Netherlands), assisted by navigator Serge Bruynkens (Belgium) and mechanic Bernard der Kinderen (Netherlands), while the #509 truck will be driven by Pep Vila (Spain), assisted by navigator Xavi Colome Roqueta (Spain) and mechanic Michel Huisman (Netherlands).

The 2015 Dakar will run from January 4 to 17 and traces a 9000 kilometre route through Argentina, Chile and (for the non-truck classes) Bolivia. The truck route is 1000 kilometres shorter, as it avoids a marathon section on Bolivia's fragile salt flats.

The seventh time the Dakar has been held in South America, this year's course once again takes in a wide variety of testing terrain, including vast expanses of desert, towering sand dunes and the majestic Andes mountain range.

Some 414 vehicles have registered for the 2015 Dakar: 164 motorcycles, 138 cars, 48 quads and 64 trucks, with 665 competitors representing a total of 53 nationalities.

Iveco says the Dakar serves as the ultimate test bed for its trucks, offering a theatre where they're subjected to some of the toughest conditions on the planet.

In addition to Iveco, the truck category in the 2015 Dakar will be contested by KAMAZ, MAN, Tatra, GINAF, Renault, DAF, Hino, LiAZ, MAZ, and Mercedes-Benz.

Iveco bares Dakar fangs

Tags