De Rooy team wins Dakar using Goodyear TPMS

Goodyear partner Team De Rooy Iveco has reached the end of the challenging 2023 Dakar Rally, completing almost 9,000 varied kilometres across Saudi Arabia over 16 days.

As part of their journey, the Dutch team used Goodyear’s Offroad tyres and tyre pressure monitoring system to help keep track of a vital part of their effort.

When the final stage of the Dakar was completed on Sunday, 15th January, Boss Machinery Team De Rooy IVECO driver Janus Van Kasteren was crowned the 2023 champion, finishing over 1 hour and 14 minutes clear of his closest rival. Teammates Martin and Mitchel Van Den Brink finished third and fourth in other De Rooy-run trucks.

While the rock, sand and mud surface of the Dakar, coupled with its steep inclines and descents, are a far cry from the challenges faced every day by Europe’s haulage operators, Goodyear says it employs the same approach to what is arguably motorsport’s toughest event.

Tyres require a design to meet the demands of the conditions in order to extract maximum efficiency, reliability and performance.

To prepare for this year’s Dakar, Goodyear’s engineers worked side-by-side with Team De Rooy in the team’s test in Morocco three months ago.

The test included a simulated version of Dakar, using the Sahara desert to replicate typical features of the Saudi Arabian landscape.

The test served to evaluate the Goodyear Offroad tyres, which feature a dedicated off-road compound, deep non-skid tread and improved resistance to cuts, making them an ideal choice for the unpredictable Dakar conditions.

The five days in Morocco also served another purpose; to trial a new TPMS. This on-board technology features a sensor placed within the tyre to alert the driver of anomalies in tyre pressure through a display mounted on the truck’s dashboard.

On rocky terrain and tough desert surfaces, advance warning regarding tyre temperature and pressure can save teams valuable time in rectification.

Back on the roads of Europe, Goodyear says identical technology helps saving time, increases efficiency and improves the safety of fleet operations.

For example, the Goodyear TPMS technology streamlines the process of checking tyre health, cutting the number of hours a fleet spends on routine checks. An underinflation warning could also prevent a tyre causing further damage or negatively affect fuel efficiency.