Fellow Polaris Factory Racing Driver Max Eddy
to Serve as Navigator, as Heger Makes His Debut at the World's
Toughest Off-Road Race
Sebastien Loeb Racing Driver Xavier De
Soultrait Returns to Defend SSV Title
MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 5, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Polaris Off Road today announced its global
effort for the 47th Edition 2025 Dakar Rally with Polaris Factory
Racing's Brock Heger making his
debut appearance at the prestigious event with teammate
Max Eddy Jr. as his navigator.
Continuing its successful partnership with Sebastien Loeb Racing
(SLR), Xavier De Soultrait will also return to defend his SSV
title. Both drivers will pilot the championship-proven Gen 2 RZR
Pro R Factory machine, the off-road industry's only OEM-developed
factory race UTV, designed specifically to take on the toughest
deserts in the world and overcome the unparalleled demands of the
12-stages and 14-days of Dakar.
Heger, who secured the 2023 SCORE Pro UTV Open Championship,
will bring his race-winning track record from the desert of
Baja to the global stage of
Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, De
Soultrait is eager to make his return and defend his SSV Class
Championship where he took two stage wins (plus the Prologue), five
top-three finishes, and three additional top-fives. He looks to
defend alongside his navigator, Martin
Bonnet.
"Securing the win last year was not only a monumental
achievement for Polaris and SLR, but also a profound and dramatic
demonstration of the performance, sophistication and sheer
toughness of our RZR Pro R Factory platform," said Alex Scheuerell, Polaris Factory Racing
Technical Director. "We're thrilled to bring two of our Polaris
Factory Race team members into this incredibly successful
partnership with SLR. Brock Heger
has shown he's up for this challenge, after extraordinary
performances throughout the SCORE series and the King of the
Hammers Desert Challenge, and backed by Max's extensive experience
at Dakar, we're eager to see this
duo compete on a global stage."
Last year marked the debut of the second-generation RZR Pro R
Factory platform. Heading into 2025, the race machine returns with
additional enhancements to performance and durability. Boasting a
one-piece chassis, a stronger, stiffer frame, adjustable suspension
hardware, and new and enhanced electronic componentry, the RZR Pro
R Factory is ready to take on the desert of Saudi Arabia once again. The collective
upgrades are the result of ongoing testing, development, and
refinement between teams and drivers. Additionally, specifically
for Dakar, the chassis has an
integrated spare parts and tool storage supply to enable drivers to
make their own repairs while on the course.
While the RZR Pro R Factory features premium, race-enhanced
parts, much of the main componentry on the vehicle remains
completely stock, based on the revolutionary RZR Pro R platform.
These stock parts include the ProStar Fury 2.0L engine, front and
rear drive, transmission, power steering rack, wheel bearings, all
CVT components, including belt, plus control arms, front and rear
knuckles, ball joints, and trailing arms. This is a statement of
the true power, strength, and control of the RZR Pro R that
consumers can purchase straight off the showroom floor.
The Polaris drivers will compete in the world's toughest race,
beginning January 3, 2025, in Bisha
and finishing January 17, 2025, in
Shubaytah, 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, check them out
on Instagram sm.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/polaris--sebastian-loeb-racing-return-to-dakar-to-defend-ssv-class-championship-adding-american-horsepower-with-score-series-champion-brock-heger-302214133.html
SOURCE Polaris Inc.