When the Amaury Sport Organisation dropped Quads from the 2025 Dakar Rally programme, Juraj Varga‘s profession in rally raid appeared to be in jeopardy. Fortuitously, he loves the game an excessive amount of to only hand over like that.
Since switching to side-by-sides over the summer time, Varga hopes to develop into the primary Slovak to race the Dakar Rally in a number of classes.
“For me, the Dakar Rally was the best peak and on the identical time my best motivation,” Varga started. “After the Quad class was cancelled at Dakar, I misplaced that motivation and informed myself that if there’s no Dakar, there’s no level in persevering with right here.
“Nevertheless, I used to be nonetheless drawn to cross-country rally, so I steadily started getting ready for a transition. It got here after attempting out a buggy. Although it’s a buggy and has a steering wheel, it has quite a bit in widespread with a quad. Just like the quad, it has 4 wheels and the driving force isn’t hidden behind glass.”
His Varga Motorsport Group acquired a brand new Polaris RZR Professional R in June, which he took to the Hungarian Baja two months later. Regardless of not being categorized because it was deemed an experimental automotive by the FIA, he considered the race as a studying expertise to regulate to his new confines. His aggressive debut got here on the 4V Rally Raid in Estonia, the place he was second quickest within the first stage earlier than extreme flooding compelled the rest to be cancelled.
In October, Varga Motorsport Group acquired sponsorship from TIPOS, the nationwide lottery of Slovakia. Radovan Schneider, a crew member for the group, serves as his navigator.
“My aim will not be solely to reach a brand new self-discipline in worldwide competitors but in addition to return to Dakar,” Varga continued. “I need to introduce a purely Slovak group to the most-watched and most demanding competitors on this planet. If I’m able to do this, I might be the primary Slovak to begin in two completely different disciplines on the Dakar Rally.
“Nevertheless, it’s nonetheless an extended technique to go. First, we have to acquire extra expertise with the buggy and show that we belong among the many elite. My first aim is to reach European occasions. Solely then can we take into consideration greater targets.”
Varga completed third at school on the closing Dakar Rally for Quads, his second begin within the race after inserting fourth in 2023. The BP Final Rally-Raid in April was his final race within the class, the place he suffered an early electrical failure then withdrew to protest the ASO axing Quads from Dakar.
Since then, many Quad riders have migrated to SSVs or different FIA lessons together with Dakar winner and World Rally-Raid Champion Manuel Andújar, Pablo Copetti, Rodolfo Guillioli, Laisvydas Kancius, and Mikołaj Krysik.
