With 37×12.5-17 Maxxis Trepador tires (M8060, 8PR, 124Q), built specifically for the Dakar rally, the Beast a powerful buggy designed to withstand the toughest conditions throughout the Dakar rally and again this year Team Coronel did not disappoint.

A total of 12 grueling stages through Saudi Arabia formed the race from January 3-15, covering approximately 4,767km. The Coronel brothers got off to a good start after seeing cars roll around them causing damage, punctures and other problems. The brothers chose to slip neatly through the busy opening phase, make no mistakes, stay out of trouble and keep the Beast as safe as possible.

At the end of the second leg, Team Coronel was in 39th place and built confidence; “A great day. What a great stage. Mountains, valleys, dunes like apartment buildings, hard sand, soft sand: everything was there. The car feels better and better. Even in the dunes with 400 liters of petrol on board. That is hard work for the Beast ! ”- Tom Coronel.

During the following stages, the brothers continued to climb up the rankings. By the end of stage five, they headed towards the top 30, finishing 34th in the overall standings.

By the time Rest Day arrived, they could breathe a sigh of relief. “I start the second week with a lot of confidence,” says Tom. “We can build a little more speed, but above all we need to make sure that we don’t sacrifice too much speed ourselves for minor issues. If we can stop wasting unnecessary time and take advantage of the mistakes of others – because there will be many mistakes in the group lie ahead – we can still win some places. A faster pace can also mean that we don’t have too many trucks in front of us, as they make driving considerably more difficult ”.

After the relatively smooth stages seven and eight, Team Coronel has endured a tough stage. The route took Tim and Tom Coronel into the mountains, through valleys and winding, rocky trails for nearly 465 km. By driving smart, relying on the Maxxis Trepadors and above all remaining patient, the twins managed to finish in 25th place and win two more places in the general classification.

After some troubles with the tire pressure setting in the tenth stage, 38th position was not what everyone was used to from Tim and Tom Coronel in the Dakar 2021. They had a bit of bad luck in the form of a flat tire and therefore had to drive a little more carefully.

The eleventh stage of Dakar 2021 was a confirmation that the last part was not going to be easy. The penultimate day was, as Tim Coronel described it on arrival at the bivouac in Yanbu, “a real, tough Dakar day”. Tim and Tom had their hands full, but managed to set a 28th time, which brought them to a 25th place in the standings.

Throughout the Dakar 2021, Team Coronel managed to avoid significant problems, but on the last day some challenges were thrown at the brothers. Still, they crossed the line and finished in 26th place in the general classification, their best result to date.

In recent years, since Maxxis has supported racers in the Dakar rally, the Trepador tires have proven to be Dakar-proof. The mud-terrain version of this tire is available throughout Europe, including the Netherlands. In addition to being the right tire for the Coronels, it is also the ideal tire for Ultra4 European Championship winner Jim Marsden of Gigglepin Racing UK.

To read more about Team Coronel’s Dakar 2021 adventures or learn more about the Trepador tires, visit www.maxxis.nl/dakar-2021 .