3tanding ovation for a Bull-fighter
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AN de ROOY, the 41-year-old iant who drove a twin-engined 60hp Daf, known as the Bull, Ito first place in the class over 0 tonnes and 15th overall in le Paris-Dakar rally, is slightly northodox. He drives standing p.
This would not be ountenanced in the Lorry friver of the Year Competition, lor would his speeds of up to 00mph. Even so, he only just ailed to be the 57th driver out if 796 starters to reach Dakar vithin the prescribed time. He was hampered on the :80km timed section of the '10km run from Kadougou to la iomonne by a tree-lined road hat was too narrow for heavy orries, The Bull charged and he trees fell but precious ninutes were lost. The organisers brushed aside complaints about the unfair hazard whereas stewards in the British competition, would, I am sure, have cancelled the results on that section.
What was even more galling was that on the sixth day of the 23-day super-thrash Jan had
earned a special award from the press when he roared past many fast cars to cross the line at Tamanrasset only 25 minutes behind the celebrated Jackie Ickx, the stage winner, in a Porsche.
Five days after the end of his Bull-fight he was back in Holland, running his haulage business near Eindhoven.
JAN DE ROOY stood his ground in true Bull-fighting style with his 760hp twin-engined Daf in the Paris-Dakar rally and won the class for vehicles over 10 tonnes.