VeKa MAN with a Mission on its way to Moscow

Caravan heading for the Silk Way Rally
Today team VeKa MAN with a Mission has started the trip from its base at Eindhoven to Moscow, on July 9th the starting point of the Silk Way Rally. At nine o'clock the two race trucks and two assistance trucks set of for the long drive to the Red Square.
Both race trucks were completely stripped and rebuilt since January, giving the whole team more than enough to do in preparation of this rally. After returning from Dakar, Peter Versluis' truck has been taken apart completely so the whole vehicle is like new. Jack Oosterwijk has built a new, lighter and lower cover and frame with a different shape. As you can see on the photos the end result looks stunning. The suspension is another improvement, and to suit this rally better the gear ratios have been changed too. Thanks to MAN's support and the usage of different materials the trucks are even more reliable now.
After the rebuild Pascal de Baar's truck had a successful test session last week in preparation of the week to come.
The new livery of the trucks looks spectacular. On the cover the 150 feet Jongert Limited Edition yacht is displayed. This beautiful design, including the slogan “Riding the Waves” will create a nice contrast between the nautical scene on the truck and the desert sands on the rally stages. Also part of this new livery is Eurol, a new partner. We are very happy with the partnership and support offered by this ambitious company known for its great ideas and products.
Not only Eurol but Azure Yachtdesign & Naval Architecture and Nakhimov, a Russian nautical broker are new names on the trucks. Both companies are experts in the nautical industry so they have a lot in common with Jongert.
As mentioned before the team has worked hard to prepare everything to the highest standards for this rally. The result is a true testimony of the atmosphere and mindset of the team. All members work together and get along nicely, the perfect environment for good results. To get those results we travel to Russia, where we will meet Team Maurer. Together we will have three race trucks and three assistance trucks in the rally.
Although Pascal de Baar is new to the team, he certainly is no rookie. This winter experienced driver Pascal joined our ranks to offer rapid service on the rally stages. When he joined the team, Pascal talked about his expectations: “ I hope to make a new dream come true, to drive under the VeKa banner and to help to get my MAN team mates in the top five while I sneak myself in the top ten!”
Peter Versluis is ecstatic with his new truck. It does not only look the part, but even more important, it handles great too. It truly is a stout truck with superb handling.
Peter has high hopes, “ Compared to the Dakar Rally the team is even more closely knit, we have trained more, we had more time for all the necessary preparations and of course I have gained some valuable rally truck driving experience during the Dakar Rally. Altogether I have a better feeling than in December. Because I know what to expect I have become more calm behind the wheel. But truck rallying is completely different from rallycross and track racing.”
“The setup of the truck now is completely to my liking. During the Dakar Rally, Cor Euser and I swapped seats every day so the setup always was to be a compromise ”, Peter recalls.
“ Kamaz has invited us to participate in this year's Silk Way Rally, and it looks to be the perfect preparation for Dakar 2012. I do not only want to finish the rally, I want to really test myself.”
“To add to the racing fun this rally is a great opportunity for Jongert to raise some brand awareness in Russia. We at Jongert have an outstanding product to offer, and clearly yachts are in demand in Russia, so this is a great possibility to show off our creation. ”

We at VeKa MAN with a Mission hope to repeat what we did last Dakar; to manifest ourself. This edition of the Silk Way Rally will see the highest number of participants ever. Just like team VeKa MAN with a Mission the rally keeps getting bigger and better.
The Silk Way Rally will start Saturday July 9th at Moscow's famous Red Square. During the next seven days the competitors will drive 4000 kilometres to Sochi. The rally is organised by the ASO, who at the same time are responsible for the Tour de France, and in January for the Dakar Rally.

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