If in the bike category all scenarios can be imagined for the final victory, the Car teams can really get their hands dirty! Between the Mini All4 and the Toyota Hilux, the match should be a beauty. Nani Roma / Michel Perin, Nasser Al-Attiyah / Matthieu Baumel, Orlando Terranova / Rolando Graue, the current leaders of the FIA World Cup, Vladimir Vasilyev / Konstantin Zhiltsov … have in their grip real powerful engines that have been dominating the Dakar for three years.
To counter them, Giniel de Villiers / Dirk von Zitzewitz (South African winner of the 2009 Dakar) with Volkswagen should calm the ardour of the German company just as the Polish duo Marek Dabrowski / Jacek Czachor, holders of the World Cup and and currently ranked 4th overall with only 2 rounds to go. The arrival of Dutchman Bernhard Ten Brinke in the Team Overdrive Racing and the return of Argentinean Lucio Alvarez banana put pressure on the boss Jean-Marc Fortin.
Patrick Sireyjol / François Beguin (Buggy Cummins), Boris Garafulic who now rides with the Portuguese Filipe Palmeiro (Mini All4), the return on the Italian Miki Biasion after a short stint in the truck category, Thierry Magnaldi / François Borsotto on the Juke of Team Dessoude but also the great Bugga’One and Jean-Antoine Sabatier winner of four stages on the last Africa Eco Race will be navigated by Alexandre Winocq; Eric Morin / Didier Haquette on the BV 6 Sodicars Racing, Philippe Boutron / Franck Maldonato stearing a Touareg … not to mention the two official Toyota Land Cruiser (Auto Body) teams Jun Mitsuhashi / Alain Guehennec and Nicolas Gibon / Akira Miura competing in the T2 category.
In the Open category….
A mix of the best in cross country rally raiding lead this category specifically created for cars teams not participating in the FIA World Cup. In this jungle of particularly strong competitors, Jerome Pélichet / Eugenie Decré (Toyota Hilux), Pascal Boutet / Bruno Seillet (Trio) … have much to do on the track in the face of competitors eager for results but also some fun!
Trucks, it’s going to be spectacular!
There are many…… Faithful to the competition and still driven by the same passion, the Portuguese Elisabete Jacinto loves the Oilibya Rally of Morocco .Faced with this popular lady , Gerard De Rooy an Iveco driver, a second Petronas Team De Rooy is entrusted to Johannes Stacey. In this rich gathering, all brands are represented: Tatra Ginaf, Unimog, DAF, Renault, MAN, Scania, Mercedes.
