Boucou Compétition is throwing it back within their fleet of service trucks. One of their trucks, a DAF FAV CF 85 formerly owned by Jan de Rooy, once again has the Gauloises livery that he made famous in the early 2000s. The truck will be used at the 2026 Dakar Rally as an assistance vehicle.

De Rooy raced the CF 85 in the 2002 and 2003 Dakar Rallies, making his return to the race as a driver after over 14 years away from the cockpit. He finished sixth in the 2002 edition.

In 2003, the Gauloises cigarette brand became title sponsor for Team de Rooy. His DAF was painted blue for that year’s Dakar, where he placed fourth. Gauloises remained a primary sponsor through his final Dakar appearance in 2007, during which he also competed with the company’s support in a DAF CF 75 and GINAF.

The Gauloises name was prominently displayed on his truck at first, but was eventually replaced by “GO!!!!!!!” due to restrictions on tobacco sponsorship. The new look is the same design used on Boucou’s DAF.

The CF 85 was eventually sold to Boucou Compétition, and was piloted by Philippe Perry at the 2025 Dakar Rally. The team also had an IVECO Trakker and MAN TGA as service trucks for the rally and two Renault Keraxes in the Dakar Classic. Since all were assistance vehicles, most were classified as retirements in the final order; ironically, the Trakker piloted by Jean-François Cazeres did reach the finish with a 16th in Truck.

While DAF has not operated a factory rally team since 1988, their trucks still appear at both the Dakar Rally and Classic. Team de Rooy operates a historic racing division that specializes in restoring DAF trucks despite mainly competing with IVECO nowadays. Besides Boucou’s CF 85, Kamena Rally Team will head to Saudi Arabia in January 2026 with the DAF Bull, a legendary truck built and made famous by de Rooy.

Featured image credit: Boucou Compétition