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Drivers Xavier de Soultrait and Florent Vayssade will drive the new Polaris-designed RZR Pro R Factory in the T4 class
The Xtremplus and TH-Trucks Teams are Each Set to Field Three Drivers in 2024 Dakar Equipped with RZR Pro R’s
MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The 46th edition of the Dakar Rally will kick off on January 5, 2024, in Saudi Arabia, and Polaris Off Road announced that it will partner with Sebastien Loeb Racing (SLR), under the banner of SLR. Drivers Xavier de Soultrait and Florent Vayssade compete in the elegant SSV T4 at the wheel of Polaris’ RZR Pro R Factory racing devices. Backed by the full force and innovation of Polaris engineering, the SLR team is well-equipped to take on the unforgiving terrain of the Dakar, where man and device will be pushed to the limit.
Based on the revolutionary RZR Pro R platform, the new RZR Pro R Factory was introduced earlier this year as the centerpiece of the Polaris Factory Racing team, setting a new precedent in the UTV industry with its race-ready strength and solidity. , and control. Throughout the 2023 season, the vehicle and team proved their superiority by dominating the festival and winning the SCORE Pro UTV Open Class Championship with wins on each of the four SCORE occasions: San Felipe 250, Baja 400, Baja 500, and Baja 1000. After a successful first season on the sands of Baja California, Polaris will bring the RZR Pro R Factory to Dakar for what many consider to be the most grueling off-road race in the world.
Utilizing a high-strength, lightweight chassis compliant with FIA T4 Class, a race-tuned ProStar Fury 2.0L engine, FOX® 3.0 Live Valve X2 Internal Bypass shocks, the two SLR RZR Pro R Factory vehicles are stronger and more capable of withstanding the demands of the nearly 5,000-mile event. Additionally, the chassis has an integrated spare parts and tool storage supply, an imperative feature as there will be no pit crew, and drivers will need to make their own repairs while on the course.
“Our good luck with the Polaris Factory Racing team in their first season in the SCORE Baja racing series, culminating in a coveted Baja 1000 victory, has been stupendous and unprecedented, however, the Dakar is an absolutely different beast. “Sébastien Loeb Racing is a finely tuned program with a great touch of Dakar experience and, altogether, we couldn’t be more excited to put the RZR Pro R Factory to a completely new event,” said Alex Scheuerell, Polaris Factory’s Array Technical Director. Careers. ” Our design and engineering groups have continued to refine and expand the RZR Pro R Factory platform, particularly for foreign rally racing and the unique demands it places on drivers and vehicles. We are excited to take on this challenge with the combined engineering strength of Polaris and our SLR partners.
International rally racing comes with a variety of things and needs unique to drivers and cars that the Polaris engineering team had to take into account in terms of design considerations and modifications for the existing RZR Pro R Factory. Polaris engineers have focused on weight to meet the minimum needs of the Dakar, while also working to improve visibility and sight lines. Unlike the RZR Pro Factory cars used in the SCORE series in 2023, those cars were supplied with fully heated windshield, wipers, and windshield washers. liquid and a wind tunnel kit. Ease of maintenance is also a vital aspect in rally racing, where drivers must carry out their own maintenance during the race. For this reason, the engineering team has further developed the garage’s capacity for equipment and spare parts.
In addition to SLR with two RZR Pro R Factory machines, the Xtremplus team consisting of Shinsuke Umeda (runner-up in the 2023 T4 World Rally-Raid Championship), Michele Cinotto and Jorge Wagernfuhr will receive RZR Pro R changed for the race, with the TH-Trucks team consisting of Enrico Gaspari, Daniel González Reina and Domingo Román Pardos also competing on the two-week occasion in RZR Pro Rs.
The Polaris-backed teams will tackle the world’s toughest race beginning January 5, 2024, in AlUla and finishing January 19, 2024, in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.
To learn more, please visit Polaris.com/RZR or join the conversation and follow on Facebook sm, Instagram sm, YouTube sm and Xsm. To follow the Sebastien Loeb Racing team’s progress throughout the 2024 Dakar, follow on Instagram sm.
About Polaris As the world’s leading powersports company, Polaris Inc. (NYSE: PII) has pioneered innovative products and enriching experiences that have invited others to notice the joy of being outdoors since our founding in 1954. Polaris’ high-quality product line includes the Polaris RANGER, RZR®® and Polaris GENERAL™ off-road vehicles; Sportsman® off-road vehicles; military and advertising off-road vehicles; Snowmobiles; Medium-sized, rugged Indian Motorcycles®; Slingshot® roadster motorcycles; Aixam quadricycles; Goupil Electric Vehicles; and pontoon and deck boats, as well as industry-leading Bennington pontoons. Polaris complements the riding experience with a powerful range of parts, apparel and accessories. Headquartered in Minnesota, Polaris serves more than one hundred countries worldwide. polaris. com
FOX is a registered trademark of Fox Factory Inc.
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SOURCE Polaris Inc.