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 | SA-Dakar 2011: Van den Goorbergh en Koolen ready for voor SA-Dakar 2011.
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The last little bit of a sinus infection is the only thing that gives Jurgen van den Goorbergh a headache. The technical and administrative checks all went smooth and the buggy is now approved to start the 2011 Dakar rally. He and Kees Koolen are eager to start the rally - with their own team "GoKoBra" and self designed and built single-seater buggies.
"Last year we entered the competition with a buggy but things went different then we hoped" says Van den Goorbergh, who celebrated his 41st birthday last Wednesday in Buenos Aires. "We now ran this project by ourselves, with the help of experienced people. That is the way to do it. It feels good and I am positive!"
Koolen competed in the 2009 Dakar Rally with a motorbike and is ready for the challenge to compete in the single-seater-car. "The buggy uses a motorcycle engine as the power source. That engine has been tested and has proven itself over and over, we trust that for the full 100%."
Of course there is always the chance of issues or things breaking but Van den Goorbergh and Koolen both aim for the podium in Buenos Aires, January 16th. "I want to set results every day" says Van den Goorbergh. "I am not in the rally just to ride it as a leisure. It should be possible to get good results with this buggy and yes, I can have a bad day but the result at the end has to be good."
Koolen is less focused on the end result. He wants to get to the finish and at what position in the ranking is not important to him - still, he rather not be last! "I have a high demanding job, am always travelling. The Dakar Rally helps me to clear my head. When I get back home I am completely ‘reset’ because all I could so for two weeks was focusing on one thing; getting to the finish of the day."
Getting to the finish may be the main focus - the first thing is to start. Saturday January 1st will be the day - the GoKoBra buggies are scheduled to be at the starting podium around 15.00 local time (19.00 NL time) at the Obelisk in Buenos Aires. Then a liaison of 334 kms will take them to the first bivouac in Victoria where the next day, January 2nd, the first stage will start.
2010/12/31 | 11:43 CET | ARTICLE: MR/HS/GOKOBRA/RALLYMANIACS
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