Racers Xavier de Soultrait and Florent
Vayssade will Pilot the All-New Polaris-Engineered RZR Pro R
Factory in the T4 Category
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 kicks off on January 5, 2024 in
Saudi Arabia, and today Polaris
Off Road announced it is joining forces with Sebastien Loeb Racing
(SLR), as SLR drivers Xavier de Soultrait and Florent Vayssade
contest the SSV T4 category behind the wheel of Polaris' RZR Pro R
Factory race machines. Backed by the full power and innovation of
Polaris engineering, the SLR team is well-equipped to battle the
unrelenting terrain of Dakar,
where both man and machine will be pushed to the limit.
Based on the revolutionary RZR Pro R platform, the all-new RZR
Pro R Factory was unveiled earlier this year as the centerpiece for
the Polaris Factory Racing team, setting a new precedent within the
UTV industry with its race-ready level of power, strength, and
control. Throughout the 2023 season, the vehicle and team have
proven its superiority by dominating the competition and securing
the SCORE Pro UTV Open Class Championship with wins at each of the
four SCORE events – San Felipe
250, Baja 400, Baja 500, and Baja 1000. Now after a successful first season
in the sands of Baja, Polaris will
take the RZR Pro R Factory to Dakar for what is considered by many as 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 success with the Polaris Factory Racing team during its
first season in the SCORE Baja racing series, capped off with a
coveted Baja 1000 victory, was
unprecedented and prodigious, but Dakar is an entirely different beast. That
said, Sebastien Loeb Racing is a finely tuned program with an
enormous level of experience at Dakar and together, we couldn't be more
excited to put the RZR Pro R Factory to an entirely new test," said
Alex Scheuerell, Polaris Factory
Racing Technical Director. "Our incredible design and engineering
teams have continued to refine and develop the RZR Pro R Factory
platform specifically for international rally racing and the unique
demands it places on both drivers and vehicles. We are excited to
take on this incredible challenge with the combined power of
Polaris engineering and our incredible partners at SLR."
International rally racing brings with it a variety of unique
factors and demands on both drivers and vehicles that had to be
addressed by the Polaris engineering team in terms of design
considerations and modifications for the existing RZR Pro R
Factory. Polaris engineers placed an emphasis on weight in order to
meet the minimum requirement for Dakar, while also working to increase
visibility and sightlines. Unlike the RZR Pro Factory vehicles
utilized in the SCORE series in 2023, these vehicles have been
equipped with full, heated glass windshields, wipers, a washer and
a blower kit. Serviceability is also a huge factor in rally racing,
with drivers required to make their own repairs during the race.
For this reason, the engineering team developed added storage
capacity for tools and spare parts.
In addition to SLR fielding two RZR Pro R Factory machines, the
Xtremplus team of Shinsuke Umeda
(2023 T4 vice-champions in the W2RC World Rally-Raid Championship),
Michele Cinotto and Jorge Wagernfuhr
will be equipped with race-modified RZR Pro Rs, along with the
TH-Trucks Team of Enrico Gaspari,
Daniel González Reina and Domingo Román Pardos who will also
navigate the two-week event 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 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. Headquartered in Minnesota, Polaris serves more than 100
countries across the globe. www.polaris.com
FOX is a registered trademark of Fox Factory Inc.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/polaris-off-road-partners-with-sebastien-loeb-racing-to-compete-in-the-2024-dakar-rally-with-race-ready-rzr-pro-r-factory-machines-302022610.html
SOURCE Polaris Inc.