The Dutch father/son duo of Martin and Mitchel van den Brink will challenge the Dakar Rally 2023 together in the Truck category, an effort almost guaranteed on Friday when their Mammoet Rallysport the team acquired title sponsorship of Eurol lubricantsrenaming them Eurol Rally Sport. Both will race in Dakar to Roy’s team in Iveco Power Stars with the liveries of the new backer.
“Eurol’s support as the new main sponsor means that I will also be on the start line of the 2023 Dakar Rally in a Team de Rooy truck.” said the elder van den Brink. “We are now working hard to achieve this, but it is a good start. Thanks to Eurol’s role, van den Brink Jr. is still stuck with Sr.”
Martin has raced in Dakar since 2009, mainly for his own team with the support of MKR technology. In 2017 he and his Renault led the Truck class after two stages before a fire knocked him out, although he was able to bounce back with two stage wins. He joined his son at Team de Rooy for the 2022 Rally and finished sixth in class.
He is twice a class winner each in the Morocco Desert Challenge and Morocco Rallythe last of which is the next stage of the World Rally Raid Championship. In 2016, he finished third in the Silk Road Rally.
Mammoet, a Dutch heavy lift company, maintained a close partnership with him and his team for over a decade, and co-sponsored his Team de Rooy truck alongside Eurol while Mitchel used TDR’s standard Petronas green livery .
“We have had an excellent long-term relationship with Mammoet for fifteen years,” Martin added. I am very grateful for all that this partnership has brought for us. We have reached this level with Mammoet. We had a fantastic partnership with Mammoet. Together, we have had some memorable successes, but also some disappointments. In all these circumstances, the partnership continued in perfect harmony. After this long period of fifteen years, I completely understand Mammoet’s decision to go in a new direction.
“Fortunately, we have found a new main sponsor in Eurol. I am delighted with the confidence of this company. Eurol has been a faithful partner of our team for eight years. From now on, they will be our main sponsor and give their name to the team.
“Eurol’s support enables our team to achieve our ambitions. Our team of dozens of volunteers has once again received the appreciation it deserves. We have already been working together for eight years in the field of testing and development of lubricants. This technical partnership will continue in the years to come and will be extended as far as possible. »
Jeroen Overduinmarketing manager of Mammoet, commented, “After a fantastic and intensive partnership over the past fifteen years, it is time for Mammoet to embark on a new adventure and make new choices. In the years to come, our strong brand will become even more visible and clearly position itself as an innovative leader in the heavy transport and lifting market, with a key role for teamwork, advanced technology and safety first. . A recent choice that fully reflects this is our huge involvement in the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort as an event provider, where we will not only provide hospitality to our customers, but also be at work with our mobile cranes.
“On behalf of Mammoet, I would like to thank Martin, Mitchel and the whole team for helping to strengthen our brand through their great teamwork and obviously wish them all the best for the future.”
Mitchel became the youngest driver to take part in the Dakar Rally when he made his debut in 2019 at the age of sixteen. Although racing rules require competitors to be eighteen, he was granted a waiver as his position was his father’s mechanic and co-driver. He drove his own truck in 2021 at a nineteenth followed by a tenth the following year.
Outside of Dakar, Mitchel mainly participates in local events such as the Eurol Hellendoorn Rally.
“Both Mitchel and Martin van den Brink have shown over the past year that they are very competitive against the trucks of the De Rooy Iveco team.” said the managing director of Eurol Martijn Pfeiffer. “It fits perfectly with our ambition to develop lubricants that guarantee the best performance in all circumstances. We are also delighted to support Mitchel, as the youngest driver on the Dakar and a member of Talent TeamNL, in his rally career.
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