MAN Nutzfahrzeuge and the Dakar Rally
A success story
The Dutch Exact-MAN Team took on the dominant prototype race trucks from Kamaz and co. in the Dakar Rally for the first time in 2005 by entering two TGAs in the race competition. Hans Stacey notched up some good results in the various stages for a long time until he was stopped by a defect. The second vehicle was withdrawn from the competition by the team after an accident during the fifth stage.
The Dutch Exact-MAN Team took on the dominant prototype race trucks from Kamaz and co. in the Dakar Rally for the first time in 2005 by entering two TGAs in the race competition. Hans Stacey notched up some good results in the various stages for a long time until he was stopped by a defect. The second vehicle was withdrawn from the competition by the team after an accident during the fifth stage.
In the Dakar 2006 the Exact-MAN Team then presented impressive proof of the potential of the technically enhanced TGA race trucks: with victories in five stages and second place in the truck competition overall the team from Son near Eindhoven pulled off a great success. Over the more than 9000 kilometres of the 28th edition of the desert classic from Lisbon to Dakar the two TGA race trucks with Hans Stacey and Franz Echter at the wheel put on some thrilling neck-and-neck races with the prototypes from Kamaz, Hino and Tatra.
An accident on the ninth day cost Stacey and Echter several hours and prevented the two teams from doing even better. Echter helped Stacey to put his truck, which had overturned, back on its wheels and removed parts from his own TGA so that Stacey could resume the fight for a place on the rostrum as quickly as possible.
Finally, in the Dakar 2007, the "Flying Dutchman" pulled off the victory that he had been pursuing for so long: Hans Stacey drove his MAN TGA race truck across the finishing line with an impressive lead of 3:10:52 hours over the runner-up. This great success was due to a consistently strong performance from driver and engineering alike: Stacey won five of the 13 stages in the truck competition and led the field from the fifth day onwards. The second MAN TGA race truck – also owned by the Exact-MAN-Team – was piloted by Philippe Jacquot (F). He achieved an outstanding sixth place in the truck contest. Although the new TGA 18.480 was used as an assistance truck for the Exact-MAN Team, Franz Echter still managed to drive it home to tenth place.
Dakar 2008 cancelled by organizers
Based on the firm recommendations of the French government, the organizers of the Dakar have taken the decision to cancel the 2008 edition of the rally, scheduled from the 5th to the 20th of January between Lisbon and Senegal’s capital. Reasons are direct threats launched directly against the rally by terrorist organisations.
Fred van Putten, Team manager MAN Dakar Team: "Like everybody else here, we're extremely disappointed. We cannot do anything else now than just respect the decision of the organisation. These kind of threats are not to be underestimated, despite of the huge deception of course. We're very certain to remain being active in rallysport. It's terrible that the most important Rally, Dakar is cancelled. But better be safe than sorry."
