Nico Stijnen has worked with Eurol Rally Sport for nearly a decade as a mechanic. In 2023, he will be rewarded for his contributions by getting a chance to race in the Dakar Rally for the first time. He will pilot an IVECO Trakker with Christiaan van der Haar and Joël Ebbers riding as co-driver.
Though he resides in Belgium, Stijnen commutes to the neighbouring Netherlands for his day jobs with the team in Harskamp, and he also owns a CAB Trucks construction vehicle dealership in Weert. He has attended the Dakar Rally in the past with the team, though exclusively in support roles by driving a bivouac truck.
“I have long been involved with the Harskamp team,” Stijnen told Dutch media outlet Transport Online. “In addition to being a sponsor, I am also an enthusiast and volunteer. If possible, I am present in Harskamp every week to work on the trucks together with team members, all volunteers, or to help where possible. I’d gladly pay the rides from Weert or Maaseik to Harskamp for that. I’m quite well-rounded technically and want to know everything about the trucks. I’ve been in the world of trucks for almost forty years now.”
In 2015, when Eurol Rally Sport was known as Mammoet Rally Sport, he served as the on-board mechanic for Pascal de Baar at the Oilibya Rally (now Rallye du Maroc) who finished seventh, while team-mate Martin van den Brink scored Mammoet’s maiden international victory. Van den Brink and his son Mitchel will have their own trucks for Dakar, both driving IVECO Powerstars; Mitchel drove the Trakker at the 2022 Rally. Stijnen pointed out that his birthday falls on 15 January, the final day of the 2023 Rally and a day after Mitchel’s, and “it would be a wonderful gift if we could both drive onto the finish podium on 15 January.”
Eurol Rally Sport assumed the current identity in July after Eurol Lubricants acquired the title sponsorship from Mammoet. The team has an alliance with Team de Rooy, which was born in 2022; Martin finished sixth in the Truck category at that year’s Dakar Rally while Mitchel was tenth.
Like any outfit, Stijnen and Eurol Rally Sport will first gauge their capabilities with desert testing in Morocco.
“We will make sure we are super fit for the start,” continued Stijnen. “[…] It will be nice to learn the tricks of the trade from the experienced drivers of Eurol Rally Sport. Martin van den Brink and now also Mitchel have shown that they know how to get through the dunes.”
