It has been reported that Yong’s Team driver Zhou Yong set off on the night of the 26th of this month to compete in the 37th Dakar Rally. At Beijing Capital International Airport, numerous fans and related personnel wished Zhou Yong and his team continued success.
The event will be held in January 2015, marking the seventh time this world-renowned, extremely challenging race will take place on the South American continent. The race will revive the loop format, starting from Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, on January 4th and returning to the same city on January 17th. Over 400 vehicles, including cars and motorcycles, will traverse Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia, covering more than 9,000 kilometers of course, which will include demanding and lengthy marathon stages — the first time such stages have been introduced in the South American edition of the race.
Chinese racing ace Zhou Yong first competed in the Dakar Rally in 2005 and has achieved third-place finishes in the car category three times, setting a record for Chinese drivers in the competition. This year marks Zhou Yong’s ninth participation in the event. He will team up with German co-driver Andreas Schulz to drive car No. 332. Andreas Schulz has participated in the Dakar Rally over twenty times and was named the top co-driver twice, in 2001 and 2003, partnering with other drivers.
“We haven’t set any specific goals for this race, so I have no pressure. Right now, I feel very relaxed, almost like I’m going on vacation,” Zhou Yong said while pushing his luggage cart at dusk at Beijing Capital International Airport. Traveling with him is the team manager Zhao Kai, and they will fly via Paris to Buenos Aires. Zhou Yong’s co-driver Andreas Schulz and other team members, including the mechanics, will arrive in Buenos Aires separately in the coming days.
As a racer with two decades of experience on the track, Zhou Yong, who is about to board the plane, stated: “Since we’re here to race, we need to quickly get into ‘Dakar mode’!”