Car
GRALLYTEAM
G RALLY TEAM
Vehicle
Brand: G Rally
Model: G-Ecko
Engine: 1000 cc
Fuel tank: 130 l
Power: 177 hp
Weight: 950 kg
Performance tuner: G Rally Team
Assistance: G Rally Team
Class: Challenger
Rankings
2022: Trucks champion
2017: Quad Cross-Country Rallies world champion
2025: 4th (truck)
2023: DNF stage 10 (truck)
2022 13th (truck)
2021: 6th (SSV)
2020: 17th (SSV)
2018: 8th (quad)
2017: 17th, 1 stage win (quad)
2016: DNF stage 10 (quad)
2015: DNF stage 6 (quad)
2014: 37th (truck)
2013: 17th (quad)
2012: 59th (car, solo)
2011: DNF stage 6 (car, solo)
2010: DNF stage 3 (car, solo)
2009: 69th (bike)
2025: 6th Challenger
2024: 2nd truck
2023: 5th T3
2022: 2nd truck
2021: 4th T4
2019: 13th T3
2017: 1st quad
2025: 15th Rally2, 1st Veteran (bike)
2024: 28th Rally2 (bike)
2022: 1st truck
2021: 5th T4
2019: 22nd bike
2018: 1st quad
2017: 8th quad
2016: 3rd quad
2015: 5th quad
2012: 1st National cars
2023: Baja Aragon (9th T3) / Italian Baja (5th T3) / Rally Greece (4th T3) / Qatar International Baja (10th T3) / Baja Portalegre 500 (4th T4) / Baja Poland (3rd T4) / Baja Aragon (14th T4) / Italian Baja (3rd T4) / Jordan Baja (2nd T4) / 3rd of the T4 Bajas World Cup.
2021: Andalucia Rally (3rd T4) / Rally Kazakhstan (4th T4) / Silk Way Rally (DNF) / Baja Aragon (9th T4) / Baja Poland (1st T3)
2020: Qatar Cross Country Rally (4th T3) / Baja Poland (3rd T4) / Baja Portalegre 500 (3rd T4)
2018: Qatar Cross County Rally (2nd quad)
2017: Qatar Cross County Rally (3rd quad)
2016: Silk Way Rally (9th car),
2013: Silk Way Rally (13th truck)
2011: Silk Way Rally (48th, car, solo)
International Six Days Enduro finisher
- Kees Koolen, 60 years old, is one of the most versatile competitors in Dakar history. Long before entering rally‑raid, he combined a deep passion for sport with an entrepreneurial career, helping to build several global companies that people know today, including Booking.com and Uber. He now leads Koolen Industries, a Dutch clean energy conglomerate founded in 2019, with the mission of accelerating the transition to clean, renewable energy and making it accessible, affordable, and widely available.
- Despite working extremely long hours each week, sport has always been an essential part of his life. He completed in long and demanding events such as Ironman triathlons and the International Six Days Enduro. His first Dakar, in 2009, was his second rally-raid. He finished it successfully on a bike.
- The famous Dutch entrepreneur began a unique multi-discipline Dakar journey across bikes, quads, buggies, SSVs, and trucks. Over the years, he competed all over the planet and earned three different rally‑raid world titles – in Quad in 2017, SSV in 2020 and Trucks in 2022.
- Kees is back for his 16th Dakar after finishing 4th in the truck category last year. This time, he will be behind the wheel of the G-Ecko in the Challenger class. His longtime friend Jurgen van den Goorbergh is back alongside him for their third Dakar together as a team, following their 2014 and 2020 campaigns.
Ranking 2026
| Total |
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|
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4
(41) |
- | - | - | - |
