With Gerrit Zuurmond opting to stay home to be with his wife Erica, Rainbow Truck Team has enlisted Tjeerd van Ballegooij as his replacement for the Rallye du Maroc.
Erica Zuurmond had initially been tasked as team manager for Morocco in Simon Koetsier‘s place, but reported experiencing pain in recent weeks that has prevented her from leaving the Netherlands. Her husband was originally set to drive the team’s MAN TGA with van Ballegooij as his navigator.
The race will be van Ballegooij’s first time driving in a World Rally-Raid Championship event after exclusively serving as a co-driver to Zuurmond. He called the shots for Zuurmond at the Dakar Rally in January, finishing fifteenth in the Truck class.
“It’s super exciting to be able to do this, but it’s bittersweet because Gerrit can’t be here to pursue his passion,” said van Ballegooij. “On the other hand, we are extremely proud that he has given us this opportunity, and we are very grateful for that.”
Klaas Kwakkel will shift over from the mechanic’s seat to the navigator’s side, while Dick Zuurmond fills the mechanic role. Dick is Gerrit’s brother who usually drives Rainbow’s assistance trucks, but made his début as a driver at the 2024 Dakar in the Mission 1000 class; his hydrogen-powered Volkswagen Amarok finished seventh.
Following the withdrawal of Team de Rooy earlier on Friday, the Truck category will have six entries for Morocco. Rainbow, the only MAN in the field, modified the rear of their truck ahead of the race to comply with FIA regulations.
The Rallye du Maroc runs 6–11 October.
