The new edition of the Dakar, the world's most challenging off-road rally, has taken off. Iveco triumphed in the first stage, set on a connection between the two cities of Buenos Aires and Villa Carlos Paz in Argentina, with Hans Stacey and his Iveco Powerstar taking first place. Gerard de Rooy, leader of Team Petronas De Rooy Iveco, finished the race in 9th place and Pep Vila in 12th position.
The first timed 175 kilometers of the 2015 Dakar are now of the past. This stage was called Buenos Aires - Villa Carlos Paz, given the location of the bivouacs, but the actual competition route between Baradero and San Nicolás was very fast and went smoothly. It was somewhat tricky for the drivers who paved the way. Hans Stacey was the fifth out the start and was able to take advantage of the speed of his Iveco Powerstar to win the first special stage of the Dakar.
The day's main fight for the lead took place between Hans Stacey with his Iveco and Marcel Van Vliet, driving an MAN. After taking turns in the lead a couple of times as they passed the various waypoints, Hans Stacey's Iveco Powerstar came in first place and became the first partial winner of the 2015 edition. He finished with a 35 second lead on Van Vilet.
"I am very happy. I had hoped to win this stage. I was taking advantage of Ales Loprais's tailwind, but we ended up doing a good job. For the past two years, I've been having trouble, but this time everything is going smoothly and I feel confident. I feel like everything's just right, everything's organized. I think I can win. We will try to keep it up," said Hans Stacey, upon arriving at the finish line as the winner of the first stage.
Gerard de Rooy, the 2012 Iveco winner and runner-up in 2014, came in a little later. The Dutch team leader lost time after waypoint 2, with an average special stage. He still finished just 1m57s behind his teammate, a negligible difference given the upcoming stages.
Pep Vila, with an Iveco Trakker Evolution II, closed the day in 12th place at 3m21s. The Spaniard had a strong performance during this first stage of the 2015 Dakar and he is ready to join the Top 10 during the next special stage on Monday, connecting the towns of Villa Carlos Paz and San Juan, still in Argentina.
The first timed 175 kilometers of the 2015 Dakar are now of the past. This stage was called Buenos Aires - Villa Carlos Paz, given the location of the bivouacs, but the actual competition route between Baradero and San Nicolás was very fast and went smoothly. It was somewhat tricky for the drivers who paved the way. Hans Stacey was the fifth out the start and was able to take advantage of the speed of his Iveco Powerstar to win the first special stage of the Dakar.
The day's main fight for the lead took place between Hans Stacey with his Iveco and Marcel Van Vliet, driving an MAN. After taking turns in the lead a couple of times as they passed the various waypoints, Hans Stacey's Iveco Powerstar came in first place and became the first partial winner of the 2015 edition. He finished with a 35 second lead on Van Vilet.
"I am very happy. I had hoped to win this stage. I was taking advantage of Ales Loprais's tailwind, but we ended up doing a good job. For the past two years, I've been having trouble, but this time everything is going smoothly and I feel confident. I feel like everything's just right, everything's organized. I think I can win. We will try to keep it up," said Hans Stacey, upon arriving at the finish line as the winner of the first stage.
Gerard de Rooy, the 2012 Iveco winner and runner-up in 2014, came in a little later. The Dutch team leader lost time after waypoint 2, with an average special stage. He still finished just 1m57s behind his teammate, a negligible difference given the upcoming stages.
Pep Vila, with an Iveco Trakker Evolution II, closed the day in 12th place at 3m21s. The Spaniard had a strong performance during this first stage of the 2015 Dakar and he is ready to join the Top 10 during the next special stage on Monday, connecting the towns of Villa Carlos Paz and San Juan, still in Argentina.
