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 | SA-Dakar Rally: MAN Veka Truckteam - Versluis in Top 10, Van Vliet covering.
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"It's not our rally," said the German Veka-MAN driver Franz Echter, after he and his teammates Detlef Ruf and Artur Klein had to retire from the race with their prototype MAN TGS in the 9th stage of the Dakar Rally 2012.
"Sometimes you have good moments, sometimes you have bad moments - and then your truck fell over" commented Echter. The Echter crew of Veka-MAN had a long night to rescue the truck and went directly to Chile.
Now it´s the rally of the Dutch Peter Versluis and his crew, driving the only Veka-MAN in the overall Top 10. Wednesday he finished 13th behind his team mates Van Vliet / Peter / Bruynkens.
In the overall Versluis / Damen / Schuurmans are now 9th, 06:05:25 hours behind the leader Gerard de Rooy. Marcel van Vliet and his crew are on 20th, 15:24:06 hours ahead De Rooy.
Marcel van Vliet had a great support team: "I was alsways together with Versluis. For me, the overall standings are not so important anymore, but with Peter in the Top 10, our team could reach a good result."
He added: "He drives very good - and if he will get some more experience in the dunes, he would be a new topdriver. It was nice to cruise with the two trucks through the dunes. Peter wanted to know how to attack in the dunes and we provided assistance when necessary."
"After the stage around Copiapo, I thought I understood how to drive in the dunes - but yesterday I was a student again" laughed Peter Verluis.
2012/01/12 | 17:55 CET | ARTICLE: MR/SY/HS/MAN
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