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22 year-old Puck Klaassen is taking on the world of Rally Raid. Born on Holland – grown up in South Africa, Puck has a competitive background in racing motocross but has now made the move to four-wheels. Having recently competed at the W2RC in Sun City, South Africa, we caught up with Puck to get some insight into her motorsport/ racing lifestyle and career.
Tell us about your motorsport journey, from Bikes to Rally Raid?
So, my motorsport career started at age six. I’ve done various sports such as showjumping, and then motocross in my last few years. I transitioned from two wheels to four wheels about a year and a half ago. In 2023, my Dakar Classic experience completely changed my life. It was a very spontaneous decision, with only three months to prepare for the Dakar, and before that, I had no car experience; I had only raced motocross. So, it was a very intimidating transition, and it was my first rally ever. Finishing that with my dad and figuring things out stage by stage was really special. Just doing Dakar was unreal. I was lucky enough to be able to do that with my dad, and from there, that really ignited my love and passion for Rally Raid. That’s when I really wanted to get into the proper W2RC series and do the real Dakar.
Dakar was definitely a finish-focused event for us; we went in with the goal to finish, as it was my first proper Dakar, and luckily, we achieved that goal. However, we had a lot of things thrown our way – a lot of challenges, ups and downs. Considering the engine troubles and time penalty, it was really unfortunate, but we learned a lot from it. I pushed through and still finished, so even though it wasn’t the result we could have had, I’m still really happy with it because I think it set me up and prepared me for the following Dakars to come. I think it was all those things that made me really, really happy with how things went, considering the challenges we were faced with.
When did you decide to get serious about Rally Raid?
The decision to race Rally Raid full-time came about when I entered for Dakar Classic, three months before Dakar. Even then, I didn’t have the intention of getting into it because it seemed like a very difficult scene to get into. But after finishing that, we had the opportunity to race the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in 2024, in a Taurus in the Challenger category, which was very intimidating because I saw the names on the entry list, and you know, I was completely overwhelmed. But I did it, and I was very surprised by my results. That’s for sure when my spark and love for Rally Raid came, and when I decided that this is what I really wanted to do.
I have a lot of long-term goals, and I intend to be in this sport for quite some time. So, it would be nice to go in with the goal of having a podium in my Dakar, then the Challenger category, and hopefully making it to T1+ as well one day, and ultimately, winning the Dakar.
Tell us about your team, the G-Rally team?
Racing with my team was when I saw how much passion and love they have for the sport.
They’ve really helped shape me into the driver I am today because they go the extra mile and put in extra effort to make sure I get all the testing I need and development for my driving – and not only my driving but also my mechanical knowledge. They teach me a lot and got me to where I am today. I also see myself being with them for the long term because they themselves have long-term goals, so together, we hope to work together to develop me as a driver, which has been really good for my career.
How was racing the W2RC in your home country of South Africa?
The South African round was a really special one for me because, ironically, the first year I took on the world championship was the first Rally Raid that came to South Africa. So, it was really special for me to have a home race, have my family spectate, and while racing, I could really feel the energy from all the South Africans and all the love. It really was an unreal experience. Although it didn’t go the way we wanted it to go, there’s a positive to take, and we again learned a lot with the car and the team, and you know, the mistakes we made. Overall, it was really special having the opportunity to race the World Rally-Raid Championship in my home country.
World Rally-Raid being held in South Africa has really given the sport and the country a lot of exposure. A lot of people follow Rally Raid on TV, so the fact that it was able to be held in South Africa is really special. It’s full of cool drivers as well; they perform at a really high level in the national races, so for them to be able to compete against the world gives them the exposure they also need. And for the international people to come see South Africa and discover the country through Rally Raid is really amazing. So, I think it’s given not only the country but the sport a lot of exposure.
Tell us a bit about the challenges of Rally Raid?
The biggest challenge in Australia was making sure that you kept every stage clean and neat. There are a lot of obstacles, and the terrain is really rough. So, a lot of things came up very quickly. In this case, not running into the most issues would have been the biggest advantage, so you definitely could see there were a lot of animals, trees, and rocks that could have been judgment errors or damaged the car.
The feeling is indescribable. I mean, people try to describe this feeling to me, and I didn’t have a good grasp of it myself in the car, but you can’t believe how the car handles, the suspension, the speeds, the terrain, how rough it is, and how well the cars handle the terrain. It’s just unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, and that constant learning process is what I love the most.
What’s the preparation like for those races?
A lot of physical preparation is needed, as the stages are really long, four to five hours, and experiencing that, you also have road sections. So, you’re not only racing the whole day, but races can be a week or two long. You need to make sure your endurance is good and you’re feeling physically fit. But really, you need to be very strong mentally because in rally, a lot of challenges are thrown at you, and a lot of things go wrong; it’s pretty inevitable. So, you have to be mentally prepared for that, and you have to be able to react well in those situations because you always know that if something goes wrong, it’s how you deal with it and how you move forward.
What do you do in your downtime?
I love to be active and also love any sort of adrenaline outdoors. So, I love hiking, cycling, even water sports, or any sports in general. I really enjoy making wine – it’s a new thing I’m trying to do – and I love to cook as well. So, those are my hobbies to keep busy.
Do you have any advice for someone wanting to pursue Rally Racing?
My advice for someone wanting to get into the sport is to take any option you can and try and get out of your comfort zone, because getting into motorsport can be really difficult or intimidating. But if you have any sort of opportunity that comes your way, you’re going to seize it, because you never know.
Photos by Edo Bauer, Irina Petrichei and Simon Bauchau.
