With just two weeks to go until the 47th edition of the Dakar Rally officially begins in Saudi Arabia this January, Polaris RZR is set to take on the world’s toughest race with two teams in the T4 Side-by-Side Vehicle (SSV) class; the French Sébastien Loeb Racing Team under the direction of FrayMédia Motorsport with three total crews—including Dakar 2024 Champions Xavier de Soultrait and Martin Bonnet—at the helm of the Polaris RZR Pro R Factory, as well as the Spanish TH Trucks Rally Team with three crews in the Polaris RZR Pro R.
Sebastien Loeb Racing (SLR) Team
Entering the third year of the five-year partnership between Polaris and SLR having already claimed a Dakar Rally race win in the partnership’s second year, the team approaches Dakar 2025 with a title to defend and a wealth of valuable race experience to start strong. With a reinforced structure and a clear objective, the team is counting on its three crews to aim for the top: Defending Dakar Champions, Xavier de Soultrait and Martin Bonnet who are keen to retain their T4 title in 2025, joined by top-10 Dakar 2024 finishers, French duo Florent Vayssade and Nicolas Rey, and finally, the team welcomes a third crew with Polaris Factory Racing’s Brock Heger, 2024 Baja 1000 and 2023 SCORE Pro UTV Open Champion, who will be making his debut appearance at the event with teammate Max Eddy Jr. as his navigator.
The experience accumulated over the first two editions and the technical improvements made to the Polaris RZR Pro R Factory place the team in a competitive position.
Cédric Fray, CEO of FrayMédia Motorsport, commented: "Dakar remains a race marked by a strong element of randomness and unpredictable terrain. However, the team approaches this edition with a feeling of optimised preparation and renewed determination. The objective is clear: to place the three cars in the top 10, with the ultimate ambition of retaining the title and continuing to grow on the project that was initiated with Polaris three years ago now with a new structure at the head of the project."
#400 - Xavier de Soultrait (FR) and Martin Bonnet (FR)
#411 - Florent Vayssade (FR) and Nicolas Rey (FR)
#425 - Brock Heger (USA) and Max Eddy (USA)
TH Trucks Rally Team
Entering Dakar for the second time in the SSV category, but with more than 25 years of experience in the field and many Dakar Rally experiences both racing and providing assistance trucks for teams, TH-Trucks enters three crews intending to cross the finish line with all three teams. Following a successful finish in 2024, Enrico Gaspari and Fausto Mota return to Dakar 2025 alongside teammates Domingo Roman and Oscar Bravo who were unable to complete the last edition of Dakar due to an accident on the dunes, so aiming to take home the finishers medal in 2025. The crew of José Ignacio Gayoso and Santiago Javier Ramiro will complete the team, who are new to the Dakar Rally but with extensive testing under their belts to prepare for the race.
#406 - Enrico Gaspari (IT) and Fausto Mota (ESP)
#434 – Domingo Roman (ESP) and Oscar Bravo (ESP)
#435 – José Ignacio Gayoso (ESP) and Santiago Javier Ramiro (ESP) Polaris RZR Pro R
After its podium-topping debut in the Dakar Rally last year, the RZR Pro R Factory vehicle returns for its second year at Dakar with additional enhancements to performance and durability. Boasting a one-piece chassis, a stronger, stiffer frame, adjustable suspension hardware, and new and enhanced electronic componentry, the Gen 2 RZR Pro R Factory is ready to take on the desert of Saudi Arabia once again.
While the RZR Pro R Factory features premium, race-enhanced parts, much of the main componentry on the vehicle remains completely stock, based on the revolutionary RZR Pro R platform. These stock parts include the ProStar Fury 2.0L engine, front and rear drive, transmission, power steering rack, wheel bearings, all CVT components, including belt, plus control arms, front and rear knuckles, ball joints, and trailing arms.
Marking Polaris’ 14th year of attendance of the race, the Dakar Rally will take place for the sixth time in Saudi Arabia from 3 to 17 January 2025, which will stretch for almost 8,000 kilometres from Bisha to Shubaytah.
Follow the teams’ progress on social media or online:
Polaris Off Road - Follow your country’s Polaris Off Road channel
Sebastien Loeb Racing Team – @loebracing / sebastienloebracing.com
TH-Trucks – FB @thtrucksteam / IG @thtrucks_team / th-trucks.com
About Polaris
As the global leader in powersports, Polaris Inc. (NYSE: PII) pioneers product breakthroughs and enriching experiences and services that have invited people to discover the joy of being outdoors since our founding in 1954. Polaris’ high-quality product line-up includes the Polaris RANGER®, RZR® and Polaris GENERAL™ side-by-side off-road vehicles; Sportsman® all-terrain off-road vehicles; military and commercial off-road vehicles; snowmobiles; Indian Motorcycle® mid-size and heavyweight motorcycles; Slingshot® moto-roadsters; Aixam quadricycles; Goupil electric vehicles; and pontoon and deck boats, including industry-leading Bennington pontoons. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a robust portfolio of parts, garments, and accessories. Proudly headquartered in Minnesota, Polaris serves more than 100 countries across the globe.
