Following two consecutive wins in the SSV category, Polaris is returning to Saudi Arabia in 2026 to defend its title at the 48th edition of the Dakar Rally.
The 2026 campaign marks an expansion of Polaris’ racing ambitions in rally-raid, led by the LOEB FrayMédia Motorsport-RZR Factory Racing team. This year's entry will see the debut of the all-new RZR Pro R Rally purpose-built for homologation in the new SSV 1 class, racing alongside the championship-winning RZR Pro R Factory platform in the T4 category. Polaris' factory outfit will be joined by the partner teams TH Trucks and Santag Racing, with Polaris fielding 11 total entries.
In its 2026 iteration, the Dakar will run from January 3rd to the 17th, taking the form of an 8,000-kilometre loop, starting and finishing in Yanbu, with 4,900 kilometres of timed special stages, interspersed by bivouac stops. The route features a mix of dune fields, rocky tracks, and gruelling marathon stages.
“The depth of talent competing on our Polaris RZR platform at Dakar 2026 is a tremendous endorsement for us,” commented René Basei, Vice President, Polaris International. “Together with our factory entry and impressive roster of independent and partner teams, this represents our strongest lineup at the world’s biggest rally-raid event. Their commitment, as well as the proven durability and performance of the RZR platform, gives us incredible pride as we chase another Dakar title.”
LOEB FrayMédia Motorsport-RZR Factory Racing Team
Returning from their epic 2025 T4 victory, reigning champions Brock Heger and Max Eddy Jr. team up once again to lead the Polaris factory effort, aiming to take victory in SSV1, a category which will see more powerful, more technologically advanced side-by-side machines than ever before take on the Saudi desert. LOEB FrayMédia Motorsport also welcomes eight-time World Rally Cross Champion Johan Kristoffersson to its lineup this year, as the Swedish driver makes his debut in the top class of rally-raid.
LOEB FrayMédia Motorsport-RZR Factory Racing will field five entries across both SSV categories.
● RZR PRO R Factory (T4 category)
○ #420 Johan Kristoffersson (SWE) / Ola Fløene (NOR)
○ #412 Florent Vayssade (FRA) / Nicolas Rey (FRA)
● RZR PRO R Rally (new SSV 1 category)
○ #401 Brock Heger (USA) / Max Eddy Jr. (USA)
○ #407 Xavier De Soultrait (FRA) / Martin Bonnet (FRA)
○ #404 Gonçalo Guerreiro (POR) / Maykel Justo (BRA)
TH-Trucks Rally Team
The Spain-based TH-Trucks Rally team returns to the Dakar in 2026 after a strong P5 finish in class last year. With extensive experience in the CERTT (Campeonato España Rallyes TodoTerreno) championship, TH-Trucks is looking to build on years of experience and successful results in rally events.
The TH-Trucks Rally team will field two entries in the T4 category with the RZR Pro R:
● #423 Domingo Román (ESP) / Oscar Bravo (ESP)
● #440 Rui Silva (ANG) / Francisco Albuquerque (ANG)
“We are hugely excited to return to the Dakar Rally with Polaris once again. Our P5 finish with Enrico Gaspari and Fausto Mota in 2025 was a fantastic result for the TH-Trucks Rally team, and it gives us confidence that we can once again make a strong entry in 2026. The RZR Pro R gives our pilots the ability to compete at the highest level, and the reliability to tackle two weeks of desert racing against the best teams in the world.”
Alberto Herrero, Team Manager of TH-Trucks Rally Team
Santag Racing Team
Based in Portugal, Santag Racing is a specialist in privateer racing with Polaris RZR machinery. Most recently, a Santag Racing-prepared RZR Pro R took the overall crown in the 2025 World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC) in the SSV class at the hands of Alexandre Pinto & Bernardo Oliveira, who form entry number 400 in the 2026 Dakar.
Santag Racing will enter 4 crews into the T4 category, also using the RZR Pro R:
● #417 Hélder Rodrigues (POR) / Gonçalo Reis (POR)
● #424 João Dias (POR) / Daniel Jordão (AFG)
● #438 Bruno Martins (POR) / Eurico Adão (POR)
● #400 Alexandre Pinto (POR) / Bernardo Oliveira (POR)
“Entering the 2026 Dakar Rally with Polaris, after securing the 2025 FIA World Rally-Raid SSV Championship, makes us immensely proud as a team. This year, we also secured a fantastic win of the FIA European Bajas Junior Championship with Alfonso Oliveira. João Dias, racing in entry #424 at this year’s Dakar, also took the win at the 2025 BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal SSV race. With our four crews, we are entering this year’s Dakar confident in our team's ability to tackle the challenge of the Saudi Arabian desert and test ourselves against the best competitors in the world, all powered by the RZR Pro R platform. ”
David Viera, Santag Racing Team Principal and Group CEO
Follow the progress of all the Polaris teams on social media, from 3-17 January 2026:
● Polaris Off Road: Follow your country's Polaris Off Road channel
● LOEB FrayMédia Motorsport: Instagram & Facebook: @loebfraymediamotorsport
● TH Trucks: Facebook: @thtrucksteam / Instagram: @thtrucks_team
● Santag Racing: Instagram & Facebook: @santagracing
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.
