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Tim and Tom Coronel on Tour again: Dakar 2016, here we come

Dakar Buggy further improved
Goal: two brothers at the start, two brothers at the finish
Tim aims for a top class result, Tom aims for top class footage
Daily TV coverage on Dutch channel, RTL7
Documentary 'Dakar, I Love It, I Hate It' to be aired on TV by RTL7 in December

Tim Coronel in his buggy has become a regular fixture in the world's most important and biggest motorsport event, the Dakar Rally. For him, it is true that the adventure in South-America is still an adventure. His team is building and developing his competition car, an advanced buggy, all by itself and the Dutchman will be all on his own throughout the thousands of kilometres: steering, finding the route and the way points and, if necessary, work on the car. Living up to the true spirit that Thierry Sabine, the man who created Le Dakar, had in mind for this rally-raid. Next year, there will again be a second buggy at the start line, with the other half of the Coronel twins behind the wheel once more. Although Tom had firmly stated never to do the Dakar rally on his own anymore after the 2015 event, the attraction of the desert and Tim's persuasion power turned out to be stronger than his earlier decision.

Tim Coronel has achieved quite something already in the Dakar rally. Thus, he won the solo classification three times in a row (2010, 2011 and 2012). And he is adamant that there is still room for a fourth trophy in his cabinet. To everyone's surprise, Tim also succeeded in persuading his twin brother Tom to have another go at the adventure after all, also in a buggy. The route has been significantly changed for 2016, but is demanding as ever. On January 2, 2016, all the competitors will cross the start ramp in Buenos Aires with the goal of making it to the finish line a fortnight later at Rosario on January 16. "And both of us will be there with our buggies," the determined duo says.

Tim Coronel's buggy has been given the familiar starting number 347, which has been Tim's lucky number since 2010, the year in which he became the first ever solo rider to win. Tom has been given number 354, the number he used in 2009 and 2015. It is quite extraordinary that the Coronel twins have been allocated their familiar numbers again, a sign that the ASO is also pleased to have the twin brothers with their buggies back in the event. The Maxxis Dakar Team has expanded further, because Kees Koolen, riding with starting number 369, has returned to his old passion, the quad, and will now have a go at victory in the quad category under the Maxxis Dakar Team banner. "I have competed in every discipline now, but for me, the quad remains the most exciting. The quad is more stable and more comfortable than a motorcycle and you can make it through, no matter what conditions are. For the upcoming Dakar, I have a competitive quad and physically, I am 100 percent fit. Moreover, I am practicing on a motorcycle or the quad every week, because I want to score a good result. Just being there to make up the numbers is not enough. I would like to do the Dakar with a buggy some day, too, but then with a co-driver."

The team also includes a Dakar novice as Maikel Verkade, riding with number 123, will be making his first attempt with a motorcycle. Maikel is a representative of the new, young generation of Dutch motorcycle riders. He came fourth in this year's Tuareg Rally and was classified third in the Hellas Rally. To qualify for the Dakar event, he took part in the Sardinia Rally in June, a round of the cross country World championship. Here, Verkade was classified 27th in a strong field. Now, the Dakar Rally is the next step.

Tim Coronel
Dakar is unthinkable without Tim Coronel at the startline with his ultra-fast buggy, completely built and prepared in-house. Tim Coronel: "For me, the Dakar Rally lasts twelve months a year. After the finish in January, there was only little time to relax and regenerate, because then we already started preparations for next year. We have analysed the aspects that weren't good from a technical point of view or that could be improved, after which the buggy was completely rebuilt. For most people, it may not look very different, but, believe me, many things have changed. The windscreen has been removed to enhance visibility, especially after river crossings and mud baths. The wiring is now totally waterproof and an additional alternator has been installed into the buggy. The rear of the chassis has been strengthened further and suspension travel has been increased. Together with the ride height, increased by no less than five centimetres, this results into better handling, allowing me to drive faster off-road. In spite of the adaptations, the weight has been reduced by no less than 30 kilograms, and less weight means more speed."

For the tubular frame buggy, the strong, yet light Kevlar-titanium has been used frequently. The power is derived from a Suzuki Hayabusa power unit with an output of approximately 240 hp.

Tom Coronel
"This was once, but never again," are the words that Dutch TV spectators vividly remember from an emotional Tom Coronel in 2009. Words that he repeated once again this year, having pushed to the limit, and beyond, as the racing reporter for RTL7 with his buggy, equipped with the TomCam. "But when your brother tells that he has built a second buggy again, the feeling returns and eventually, I said yes. Especially as I have received a lot of positive feedback about the TV reports that gave an insight into the Dakar Rally. Such footage is impossible to produce from the outside and the stories of Dutch competitors that got stuck really touched the spectators. Together with RTL GP, I will bring again unforgettable images into the living rooms in The Netherlands, there is no doubt about that. Moreover, I am proud that RTL7 has made a documentary about my adventure and that of the other competitors."

In South-America, Tom will meet some familiar people, including one of his opponents from the ranks of the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), Sébastien Loeb.

'Dakar, I Love It, I Hate It'
The documentary 'Dakar, I Love It, I Hate It' is the incredible story of Tom Coronel during the 2015 Dakar Rally. "It was never planned to make this documentary. In fact, I don't even know why I kept filming myself," Tom Coronel says. For RTL7, Coronel travelled to South-America earlier this year to tell the story about the Dutch participants and the problems they encountered during the event, using the TomCam within the rally. On the second stage, however, Coronel runs into trouble himself. He barrel-rolls his buggy. That marks the start of a story full of drama, adversities and emotions. In spite of the roller-coaster, in which Tom Coronel ends up, he keeps recording everything with the TomCam. As a result of this, 'Dakar, I Love It, I Hate It' became a unique document.

The documentary will be broadcast on Dutch channel, RTL7, on Monday, December 14, 2015 at 22:40 hrs and on Sunday, December 27, 2015, at 19:00 hrs.

Final preparations
After the recently held RTL GP Dakar Pre-Prologue, the team is working hard on the buggies again at the workshop in Eemnes, The Netherlands. Not only the buggies have to be ready for transport, all spare parts and the mobile workshop will also be shipped to Argentina. The team still has a few days to finalise the preparations before heading off to the harbour at Le Havre in France for the transport to South-America. "It is our goal to make it to the finish with both buggies," Tom concludes. "I will go for a good classification, with first place in the solo class as the ultimate goal, while Tom will be covering the rally from within with his TomCam and will be searching for Dutch competitors who have run into trouble." Tom adds, smilingly: "I hope that I can get some more footage from other competitors than last year, because back then, it was me taking centre stage in my reports for most of the time."