Erik van Loon, the surprise of the day: “The feeling of having gone from zero to hero”

14 seconds: this is the tiny gap that separated Erik van Loon from a spectacular first victory on the Dakar, during the 2nd stage this Monday. The Dutchman, 54, was pipped to the post by Nasser Al-Attiyah in the final kilometers of the special between Sea Camp and Alula, 430 kilometers long. At the wheel of his Toyota, Van Loon came very close to a first success on the famous rally-raid, he who is participating in his 13th Dakar in 2023 (with a 4th place for best result, in 2015).

On arrival, there was no feeling of disappointment, but rather amazement and happiness for the Dutch veteran. “I didn't really feel like it went well,” explained the sensation of the day. “We drove all day in the dust, passing 30 cars. Because of the dust, I missed a turn and lost about three minutes. Forty kilometers before the finish, we had a flat tire, which we changed. We thought we weren't at all in contention for victory today and finally, there are 10 film crews waiting for you in the bivouac! So we just missed out on winning the day, how crazy things can get in this sport. »

“We don’t expect this at all!” » admits Van Loon

Erik van Loon got off on the wrong foot on this 2023 Dakar, with an accident in the Prologue on Saturday. Two days later, the Dutchman led the special for the vast majority of the second stage, before losing the lead to the defending champion, Nasser Al-Attiyah. “I really feel like I went from zero to a hero today, he confided upon arrival. We didn't expect it at all. It proves that crazy things can happen in rally raids. Yesterday we had another half hour time penalty, which the team is still working to rectify. And today we almost won the stage. » Now 13th overall, the 54-year-old pilot, a trader in the food world in his working life, wants to pursue the dream on the Saudi dunes.

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