The news tops off a season of success for Iveco, which also saw its New Eurocargo win International Truck of the Year 2016, while Magelys (the Iveco bus and coach brand) took International Coach of the Year 2016.
Three Iveco trucks were in the top four of the 2016 Dakar rally, which saw five truck brands represented in the Top 10 for one of the toughest events in Dakar history.
“We put the excellent reliability of our trucks to the ultimate test in this year’s Dakar, enabling the team’s outstanding pilots to give their best performance in the race,” comments a triumphant Iveco brand president Pierre Lahutte.
“I would like to thank Gerard De Rooy, Federico Villagra, Anton Van Genugten, Pep Vila and Ales Loprais and their remarkable teams for the determination and drive they have shown.”
This is De Rooy’s second victory in the Dakar’s truck category. At the end of the competition, the Dutch champion dedicated his victory to his late Belgian navigator, Jurgen Damen, who passed away last year.
On the podium in third place was Federico Villagra, known as El Coyote. The Argentinian pilot, in his Iveco Powerstar, was followed by millions of local fans, in a market where Iveco leads.
Ton Van Genugten finished fifth in his Trakker. While he was one of two quick service trucks supporting the team’s lead pilots – De Rooy, Villagra and Loprais – he stayed ahead of other competitors and crossed the line in fifth place, missing a stage win only because he stopped to support his team leaders.
The 2016 Dakar was decided over a 9,000km South American route.