The #613 IVECO PowerStar will be a family affair at the 2025 Dakar Rally when Anja Van Loon shares driving duties with her brothers Jan van de Laar and Ben van de Laar. The three hope to pay tribute to their late parents by scoring a top-ten finish, if not a podium.

While Anja is the driver of record, the arrangement means all three siblings will spend a handful of stages behind the wheel while the others navigate or serve as mechanic. It is rare but not unprecedented for a Dakar vehicle to rotate drivers, most notably executed annually by Tim and Tom Coronel.

Their father Fried van de Laar was a Dakar truck veteran before handing the reins to Jan and Ben in 2016; he died in 2020 at the age of 66 after a two-year battle with cancer. Fried’s wife passed away when the siblings were teenagers, which Anja noted was what prompted him to get into racing.

“Without our mom and dad, we wouldn’t be here,” Van Loon said. “We miss them every day, but thanks to them, we started this as a family. Unfortunately, our mom never got to experience it herself, but that’s why our dad started driving, first with Jan and then with Ben too.

“The fact that we are getting into the truck together five years after his death is the ultimate tribute from us to our parents. They will be watching from above and we will carry them with us every kilometer.”

Each of the three have Dakar experience as a truck driver, though 2025 is the first time they are working together. Previously, Jan and Ben would share a truck for the family team together whereas Anja raced for Van Loon Racing led by her husband Erik. Anja made her Dakar truck debut in 2024, finishing 12th in an all-woman crew.

“Jan and Ben obviously have a lot of driving experience, but they can also navigate. I’ve never navigated before so I won’t be doing it during the Dakar. We want to be at the front, so it wouldn’t be smart at these speeds,” Anja added. “I think our biggest advantage will be that we know each other inside and out. I’m very curious to see how that will be for us, but I’m sure we can do it together.”

Their truck comes Team de Rooy, a close family friend of the van de Laars and Van Loons. The team is also fielding trucks for Aleš Loprais and Vaidotas Žala at the 2025 Dakar, while Erik will be present albeit in the Dakar Classic.

“We have to finish in the top ten and hopefully even higher,” she continued. “Looking at the Dutch competition, I think we can go for the top three. The most important thing is to drive well and avoid trouble along the way. If we manage that, we’ll be incredibly happy and proud of each other at the finish line.

“Our parents will be watching from above, and we’ll think of them during the journey. They’ll be so proud.”

Featured image credit: Van Loon Racing