PROLOGUE.
24 September 2018.
This is the first time I hear and read the name William van Groningen. He has just purchased a DAF truck including a service truck. What I didn’t know then is that within two years this team would become a familiar face in the off-road world.
March 2019. When I drive into the port of Almeria in Spain, I see two bright green trucks with the name Team Dust Warriors on them. So this is William van Groningen’s team. Like me, they are ready for departure to go race in the Carta Rally in Morocco.
January 2020. I drive into the town of Menton in France. In a large car park at the harbour for the technical inspection, I see the green Team Dust Warriors trucks again. They acquired a taste for it after their adventure in Morocco and now they are ready to compete in the Africa Eco Race, with every intention of making it to Dakar.
September 2020.
Because I registered for the Breslau Rally in Poland, on 11 September we are driving to Gwda Wielka to pitch our tents in the bivouac there. Dusk is already falling when we drive onto the site. From afar, I can again see the long green light pole with the Dutch flag flying proudly over the green Team Dust Warriors fleet. That’s where we have to go, I say to one of our drivers. This time I want to be right next to Van Groningen’s men. Since I’ve gotten to know them well over the last two years and know what kind of people they are, we park our service truck and camper right next to the green service trucks and are immediately greeted warmly. We start setting up our stuff and discover that our generator isn’t working. No matter what we try, we can’t get the infernal thing to work. But Team Dust Warriors have an extra power outlet and a cable is quickly laid and there we are: we have power and light. Fantastic! The evenings with the Dust Warriors are always a great time as I’ve experienced several times, for example at the Carta Rally as well as the Africa Eco Race. They’ve set up a kitchen and an actual living room in one of the service trucks. The sound system almost exclusively plays Dutch sing-alongs, and of course the refrigerator is well stocked with (of course) cool barley juice in green bottles. The whole team radiates fun and passion and they visibly enjoy the whole off-road business. But even though the parties sometimes go on until the early hours, the next day all the men are on deck early and everyone does what they came to do. Driving a great rally takes good preparation. No expense is spared, nothing is left to chance. And very importantly, they work together without anyone grumbling or complaining when they sometimes have to work through the night to get the vehicles ready in time for the next stage. I’ve often seen that everyone in the team works hard, and they do this with great dedication and passion.
EPILOGUE.
The book about the Dust Warriors is still quite thin and only contains a few chapters so far. But the adventures they’ve experienced in the past two years read like an exciting boys’ book. And once you start reading it, you want to read the latest chapter as soon as possible. Personally, I hope it will be many more years before this exciting book comes to an end. Team Dust Warriors are not only unique as an off-road team, no, they are all hard working men who are averse to publicity, all have their feet firmly on the ground and they tend to be more modest rather than wanting to be in the foreground or stand in the spotlight. And last but not least, they’re all super nice guys who will always help you wherever they can. The Breslau Rally 2020 was another good example of this. That is why I was proud, together with my team, to be neighbours with the Dust Warriors at the Breslau Rally 2020. We had a tonne of fun with Team Dust Warriors. And what’s the old saying? Better a good neighbour than a distant friend!
For the record!
Albert Roelofs. February 2021.
