Van den Brink: the Truck Went Up in Flames Incredibly Fast
6.1.2016
Unbelievable misfortune and coincidence eliminated Martin van den Brink’s truck from this year’s Dakar. In the very first special section, the official second stage of this year’s competition, his racing special burnt down completely, wiping off all our hopes for excellent ranking.
“Basically, there’s nothing left of the truck so we can’t determine what specifically happened and what the cause was. Judging from Martin’s feedback we assume that the fire was a result of the overheated left rear brake,“ commented Mario Kress, MKR Adventure chief constructor and boss.
Van den Brink’s truck did not do badly at all. Based on the last available information he is supposed to have been going on eighth place after the third special section before the fatal moment came. The main cause was probably the overheated rear brake, which did not allow him to apply the brakes completely, forcing the truck off the road in a right-hand bend and ending up in an emergency stop. The mechanic Richard Mouw could only see how the flames blazed off the wheel. “As the truck stopped, all circulation as well as air inlet to the heated up brakes were cut,“ described Mario Kress the breakpoint in the whole situation.
The crew managed to jump off and tried to put the fire out. However, it was a futile battle. “It went terribly fast. The fire spread out immediately. We got some help from Kamaz as well, when Dmitry Sotnikov was trying to help us, but there was nothing we could do. It’s hard to believe how fast the whole truck went up in flames. Only then could we watch from safe distance how our year-long effort disappeared in the fire. We only took a few pictures as a remembrance,“ said the gloomy Martin van den Brink, who is paradoxically a member of the volunteer fire brigade in his country.
Despite the joint cordial effort of several crews the racing special no.509 could not be saved. The damage is catastrophic and so the 38th Dakar Rally has finished at the very beginning for the team. The whole crew was flown by a helicopter to the finish in Termas de Rio Hondo, where a warm welcome was waiting for them. “I would like to express my gratitude to all who tried to help us. I felt the helplessness and immense support from our opponents and I must admit it was really moving. On the track we fight each other but even the greatest rivals were very sympathetic to us. It really made me tear up,“ confessed van den Brink.
That stage two was not roses all the way is evidenced by the fact that apart from MKR Technology’s Renault two other vehicles caught fire on the track. “It was a very fast stage with a lot of curves. The whole track was very demanding in terms of the brake system. We can hardly put the blame for what happened on one specific person. We simply had really bad luck. The damage is extensive but the key thing is that no one was injured. That would have been a tragedy in the real sense of the word. Now we believe in our partners and friends because we need to keep looking forward and continue to show we belong to the elite,“ says the hopeful Mario Kress, pulling himself together after one of the worst nights he and his team ever experienced.
Nevertheless, the Dakar is not over for the rest yet. There is still the second truck driven by Pascal de Baar in the competition. While trying to help his team mate, he dropped from rank 13 to 18 in the stage. “However difficult it may be now, we have to hold our heads high and try to achieve the best possible result with Pascal. We won’t help anyone by being sad. We must keep going,“ fires up his team Mario.
For now the whole team stay put. While the others were getting ready for the Tuesday stage three, Martin van den Brink’s crew returns to clear away the scorched wreck. “There’s no way we’re leaving Argentina and its beautiful mountains just like that. We have to put things back in order,“ emphasized the Dutch pilot.
Stage three from Termas de Rio Hondo finishes in Jujuy. The crews have to tackle over six hundred and fifty kilometres, including 314 km of the special section.
