Juraj Varga has joined the Quad exodus as he has acquired a Polaris RZR Professional R, which he plans to race within the SSV class.
He’s amongst many Quad riders who’ve departed for different classes after the announcement in April that their class has been axed from the 2025 Dakar Rally. The information got here in the course of the World Rally-Raid Championship‘s BP Final Rally-Raid, and Varga expressed his disappointment by withdrawing from the rally shortly after; he was already in a gap after {an electrical} failure within the first stage, however had little incentive to proceed since such races have been used as coaching for Dakar.
In January, Varga positioned third total within the last Dakar for Quads with top-three stage finishes in 9 of twelve legs, enhancing a spot after narrowly lacking the rostrum on début in 2023. The BP Final Rally-Raid was his solely different W2RC begin in 2024 to this point.
He completed third within the 2023 W2RC Quad standings with a runner-up on the season-ending Rally du Maroc.
His Polaris was ready by Slovakian vendor Quadmoto centrum.
“For me and the complete crew, there’s one other new and massive problem: to maneuver to racing at a better stage and head into a brand new class among the many vehicles, buggies, and vans,” wrote Varga. “After many months of contemplating the most suitable choice to proceed, and because of Quad-Moto s.r.o. and Polaris Slovakia, we lastly got here to a conclusion.”
Most Quad opponents usually head to SSV first after they look to compete in an FIA class. Dakar winner and newly topped World Quad Champion Manuel Andújar will make his SSV début this weekend as a co-driver, whereas Pablo Copetti (third at Dakar in 2023) will drive one within the 2025 Dakar. Former Dakar Quad victors Josef Macháček, Ignacio Casale, and Sergei Kariakin are additionally SSV drivers whereas final yr’s W2RC runner-up Rodolfo Guillioli has change into a navigator. 2023 champion Laisvydas Kancius will race the Dakar as a co-driver within the top-level Final division.
Polaris is the defending Dakar SSV winner.
