20,000+ see Rallycross demo

The Eurocircuit in Valkenswaard was the host of the RTLgp Dakar pre-prologue. More than 20,000 fans visited the Dutch Rallycross track near Valkenswaard. Motors, 4×4’s and the massive Dakar-trucks where shown to the public in a race for the fastest time of the day. For the third time victory in the truck-category was for Gerard de Rooy, son of former Rallycrosser Jan de Rooy.

Between the Dakar truck and car violence at the fully packed Eurocircuit with almost 25,000 people there was a demo of the Rallycross Supercars of Dutchmen Jos Kuypers (Ford Fiesta), Ron Snoeck (Seat Leon). Wil Teurlings (Volvo S40), and the Belgian drivers Koen Pauwels (Ford Focus), Jos Jansen (Ford Focus), Patrick Van Mechelen (Subaru Impreza) and Melissa Debackere in the Škoda Fabia of Jochen Coox. For the lady-driver it was the first time for her to race at Eurocircuit. Debackere was in 2009 third overall in the Belgian Rally Championship and in 2008 she became Vice-champion in the Belgian Rally Championship. One week before the demo-run at Valkenswaard Debackere drove also with the Fabia at the Glossocircuit in Arendonk, during the Drive-for-Live project. The female rallydriver started her career in circuit racing in the Toyota Yaris Cup. Two years later she made the switch to the rallysport in a Citroën Saxo. In 2004 she drove a Toyota Celica 4wd in the French Rally championship and a Celica GT4 in the Belgian Rally Championship. Later on she drove cars like a Peugeot 207 S2000, a Ford Focus WRC and a Subaru Impreza WRC. On the preliminary program for 2012 for Debackere there are some rally’s in the Belgian and French rally championship and maybe, if there is no clash with the dates, some races with the Rallycross Škoda Fabia which is now in the hands of Belgian Jochen Coox.

Koen Pauwels drove the ex-Jernberg Focus over the Dutch track. This car is one of the three cars (all Ford Focus) he has for sale. Pauwels gave this car a complete rebuild and is ‘ready to race’ says Pauwels. Pauwels Motorsport has also in the workshop the ‘old’ car of Jos Jansen for sale and in Sweden a new Focus in ERC trim is being build up. As Pauwels explains this in a kind of cooperation between Michael Jernberg and Ingvar Gunnarsson Motorsport. This new model Ford Focus from PMotorsport can be expected in the beginning of the 2012 season said Pauwels to RallycrossWorld. All the cars will have Proflex dampers and a Jullian Godfrey engine in the same spec as the other cars. “Easy to swap parts if necessary and also in maintenance and ordering parts.” Three Supercars and they are all for sale, although the Belgian driver has strong plans to race in the Belgian Championship with one of these Focus Supercars. The 2012 ERC will be done in the TouringCar Fiesta.

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