This 6-Turbo Truck Was Too Powerful For The Dakar Rally

- Patreon -

- Timestamps -
00:00 Intro
00:38 Sixwheeler “The Nose”
01:58 DAF support
02:45 “The Bull”
03:30 Mid-twin-engine tri-turbo truck
04:31 Karel Loprais’s thought
05:13 TurboTwin X1 & X2
06:37 End of a ridiculous truck era
07:35 Thing of the past
07:58 Ability to drive the TurboTwin

- Disclaimer -
This video is fair use under U.S. copyright law because it is transformative in nature, uses no more of the original than necessary and has no adverse effect on the market for the original work.

- Credits -
“Daf The Bull 1985” by Rogier Klingeman

“1450bhp F1 BMW Turbo” by riceracingdonmega

“Group B Supercars - Ypres 24 Hours Rally 1986 Review” by amjayes2

“DAF 3600 Turbo twin Paris Dakar, Parijs Dakar 1986” by Anton Rombouts 1990

“DAF vs Peugeot 405 I Paris-Dakar 1988” by Azerbaijan Motorsports

“DAF Paris Dakar Jan de Rooy” by bvos1234

“Daf 2800 DKS Fuller bak” by M Baan

“DE ROOY Groine” by Eugene Climaco

“Concept 95, DAF Trucks, 1987” by mcnultymedia

“50 jaar DAF (1978)” by Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld & Geluid

“Essai camion vintage : Daf De Rooy Dakar bimoteur” by France Routes Officiel

“Daf TurboTwinII” by Rogier Klingeman

“Paris - Dakar 1987 | Karel Loprais s vozem Tatra” by Tardie

“DAF TurboTwin met 1200pk Jan de Rooy 1” by MrSewyel

“Dakar 1988 Daf X2 Turbotwin Crash” by LOZUMPA

“Kees Van Loevezijn's Fatal Crash @ Dakar Rally 1988 (Aftermath)” by FatalMotorsportChannel

“Dakar Desert Rally | '80s Classics Trailer” by Dakar The Game

[VisioRacer]

RIP Jan de Rooy. It was pleasure to get to know your story and an honor to make this video! Astonishing achievement

[ronaldderooij]

You are the first foreigner (apart from people in Flanders, of course) in my life that pronounces my name name correctly! My compliments. It is worth noting that the fatal incident had quite some reverberations between Jan de Rooij and DAF. Jan de Rooij did not want to quit the rally. DAF ordered him to do so for marketing reasons. But up to this day, Jan de Rooij maintaines that the eventuality of a fatal accident was discussed beforehand with DAF management and it was agreed that it would not be a reason to withdraw. So Jan felt betrayed and broke with DAF management forever.

[PaulRudd]

220km/h out of something with the aerodynamics of a milk crate is INSANE... this is the 80s???

[NigelMarston]

That shot of the truck vs the Peugeot is incredible. I knew they were very capable machines but hadn't an inkling that they were quite so powerful and fast. Amazing story.

[Durbanite]

You know it's madness when two turbochargers have their own turbocharger. Ah, the 1980s...

[Yvolve]

The clip of De Rooij overtaking Vatanen is taken minutes before the crash of the X2. The flats they race on end in a more bumpy section which the X2 hit at the wrong speed, causing it to lose on control. Image the carnage if it was the X1 crashing doing 220 instead of 190 km/h.

Van Loevezijn was thrown from the cab while still strapped to his seat. The seat rails were never upgraded from factory and never designed to survive a crash like this. There is footage from a French broadcaster, who were first on the scene as they acted as the emergency air lift helicopter. Van Loevezijn is a couple of hundred meters away from the cab, Chriss Ross (a Scotsman) and Van Rijt can be seen laying next to the cab and inside it, battered and bruised.

It was a weird day for the Dakar as a French broadcast crew had flown ahead to the next base camp the night before, while the other helicopters planned on flying along with the race that day. A massive sandstorm turned up just as the race started and grounded all helicopters. This meant the French crew and their chopper were the only ones in the air. They became the default rescue helicopter and therefore were the first on the scene off the X2 crash.


The entire broadcast is on YT but is isn't easy to find, I think the station was TV4 or TV24. The French did not care back then and showed the injured crew and the body of Van Loevezijn, still strapped to his seat, a little to close for comfort.

For those who understand Dutch or can deal with forced auto-translated subs, there is a Dutch documentary on this race and crash called "De woestijn bleef leeg" ('The desert remained empty") and is on YT.

[itsdokko]

Dakar trucks are the most fascinating things to me. It's rather difficult to comprehend how such hulking beasts can conquer hard terrain with such ease

[ledgendsrus]

When I worked at DAF, I was monitoring torque figures using our diagnostics system. It was an XF with a 13 litre straight six. 2300Nm of torque was the highest figure I saw. The power trucks have is impossible to imagine until you’re in one and it’s being worked hard.

[hanstubben]

The footage of Jan de Rooy overtaking Ari Vatanen is one of the most impressing racing footage ever made!!

[Kitorias]

Did you know that de Rooy actually rebuilt two replicas recently, the nose, and the two headed monster, to run once again in the dakar classics category?

[sicstar]

Ah yes the 1980s ... when cigarette smoking men where doing whatever the heck they wanted to do and then slapped turbos on it! Good times! :D
And thank you for your videos, always a pleasure to see one popping up :)
<3

[unwanted_zombie]

It's sad to lose anyone in motorsports, especially during the peak (my opinion) of pretty much all motorsports- the late 80s.. but if I'm being honest. If I had to choose how I went out, it would be in one of the many beasts of the 80s and early 90s. F1, group b, group c (personal favorite with the sauber c9), Dakar and many others are a dream a 90s kid like me won't have- but they got to live that world. A world that is only spoken in myth and legend. As heartbreaking as it is to lose someone in racing.. what a time to be alive.

[matthewshambler]

There will never be a more iconic time for Motorsport than the 80’s.. 10T of truck moving at over 200 km/h is proof of that!

Seeing that Peugeot driven by Ari Vatanen reminded me of his epic Pikes Peak “Climb Dance” in a 405.. mind blowing!

[kylestewart]

I've been a long time fan of the Dakar rally, but due to being an American, the most I've really been able to see was clips here and there. I'm still infatuated with the idea of these massive trucks racing offroad alongside cars and bikes. I got the Dakar Desert Rally game, along with the classics DLC, and was confused as to why this little Peugeot and this old truck seemed to be the fastest things in the game. This video did a great job of helping me see why, and teaching me a bit more about the history of a racing event I've wanted to see more of for a long time. Seeing the footage of this twin-engined truck racing across the sand right next to this little redesigned Group-B car is exactly why I love this rally.

[JohnnyAFG]

The 80’s were the decade of blessed excesses in racing!

[VisioRacer]

It was a Peugeot 405, not 205. Sorry about the misleading fact ☺️

[raycollington]

After a lifetime in the truck industry buying, operating and maintaining all makes of trucks, DAF in my opinion was the best in the bunch. The products, support network and the fantastic people, were always easier to deal with than other brands. Visits to Eindhoven, Westerlo and the museum were always a fun experience. I remember these Dakar trucks, seeing them in the museum is a well worthwhile experience. Thanks for this this trip down memory lane. Long live DAF.

[MrKeys]

Thanks for this! - and i was so happy to se my landsman Ari Vatanen participating and win in Dakar for many years! greetings Levi in Sweden - (but Finn by origin!)

[hugosouzapereira]

Definitely one of the best automotive channels here on YouTube, have been following you for years now. Please, always keep up with the good work!

[rasmAn]

I may have appeared in this @6:30. It was at a pre-shakedown event on the valkenswaard rally/motorcross track, and Jan drove the Turbotwin a few laps as a demo. He was meant to take it easy. He did not. The truck landed about 2m away from me after taking a jump of a bridge, and proceeded to apply all the beans up the following hill. It made an impression, both on me and the earth. the turbo howl hurts.