At this time of year, a bunch of crazy truck drivers take on one of the toughest challenges in motor sport, the Dakar Rally. This year sees the 38th running of the event, which now takes place in South America after political turmoil put the Sahara Desert out of bounds to the rallying fraternity.
This year’s truck winner was, Dutchman Gerard De Rooy, driving his highly modified Iveco Powerstar, powered by a 900 plus hp Cursor engine. The truck covered 9,000 km over some of Argentina and Bolivia’s most inhospitable terrain, finishing an hour and ten minutes clear of his closest competitor. This is the second Dakar victory of DeRooy’s career and the Powerstar also managed three stage wins and several more podium finishes.
Getting a truck up and over this dune is all about speed, power and a bit of luck:
It’s better to just stay well out of the way of the rally trucks, as this buggy driving competitor found out: