POLARIS WIN 2026 DAKAR SSV CLASS | LIFESTYLE | News

Polaris delivers a third straight Dakar SSV victory, showcasing relentless pace and reliability across an uncompromising 13-stage marathon.

After nearly 5,000 kilometres (3,045 miles) of racing across 13 punishing stages, Polaris’ RZR Factory Racing program, alongside LOEB FrayMédia Motorsport (LFM), once again proved unbeatable in the Side-by-Side (SSV) category, claiming a third straight overall victory at the 48th running of the 2026 Dakar Rally. In just their second Dakar appearance, American pairing Brock Heger and navigator Max Eddy Jr. returned to the Saudi Arabian desert and delivered another flawless performance, securing their second consecutive class win aboard the Polaris RZR Pro R Rally—built to comply with the latest FIA regulations.

Regarded as the toughest race on the planet, the 2026 Dakar saw Heger and Eddy control the event almost from start to finish, ultimately winning by a margin of more than an hour. Despite this being only his second Dakar, Heger produced a standout performance, taking a remarkable six stage wins, including the prologue. He also added two more podium finishes, two additional top-five results, and finished outside the top five just four times across the entire rally. Rounding out an exceptional showing for Polaris, SLR teammate and reigning 2024 SSV champion Xavier de Soultrait brought his RZR Pro R Rally home in third overall.

“Coming back to Dakar for my second year and being able to win again is absolutely incredible, and I couldn’t be more grateful for Polaris, LFM and our entire crew,” said Heger. “This race tests you in every possible way, and to come out on top again is something I’m really proud of. Max and I work seamlessly together—his navigation was spot-on all the way through, and that trust and communication made a huge difference over two intense weeks. The RZR Pro R Rally was faultless every single day. Having a vehicle you can completely rely on at Dakar is everything, and Polaris delivered.”

Heger set the tone early by winning the prologue for the second year running, earning a key advantage heading into Stage 1. Once racing began in earnest, de Soultrait demonstrated his experience as the defending Dakar winner by taking the Stage 1 victory and the early overall lead. He followed that with a second-place finish in Stage 2, while Heger came home fifth, keeping the team firmly at the front. From Stage 3 onward, Heger and Eddy took control, winning back-to-back stages to assume the overall lead. From there, they never relinquished it, carefully managing their race through the brutal Saudi terrain. Additional stage wins in Stages 8, 10 and 11, along with strong podium and top-five finishes, sealed a dominant and consistent campaign.

Their success highlighted the engineering excellence of the Polaris RZR Pro R Rally, which delivered the durability, agility and reliability needed to survive Dakar’s relentless conditions. When the rally concluded, Heger and Eddy completed the event in 55 hours, 11 minutes and 56 seconds—more than four hours quicker than the previous year’s winning time.

To meet the new FIA SSV regulations, Polaris reworked the RZR Pro R Rally to satisfy strict homologation requirements without sacrificing performance or strength. Built around a largely production-based chassis and bodywork, the car retains key consumer RZR Pro R components, including its engine, driveline and suspension, showcasing the robustness of the platform. Improved suspension control and precise handling allowed the vehicle to tackle the harshest terrain day after day, delivering the consistency required to win at Dakar.

“Starting the year with a third consecutive Dakar Rally victory is an outstanding achievement for both Polaris and Loeb FrayMédia Motorsport,” said Alex Scheuerell, Polaris Director of Off-Road Motorsports. “With the new SSV rule changes, the team put in countless hours refining and evolving the platform. Seeing Brock and Max deliver another near-perfect performance, alongside Xavier’s third-place finish, is a true reflection of that effort. They faced some of the most extreme conditions imaginable, and this result is a credit to everyone involved.”

Further strengthening Polaris’ overall result, Johan Kristoffersson and navigator Ola Fløene finished eighth overall in the RZR Pro R Factory T4 during Kristoffersson’s Dakar debut, recording three stage podiums and another top-five finish. Florent Vayssade claimed a second-place stage result in Stage 2, while young gun Gonçalo Guerreiro and navigator Maykel Justo impressed with a stage win, two podiums and three additional top-five results before their rally ended after a Stage 8 collision.

Taken together, the performances underlined the depth, cohesion and competitive strength of Polaris and Loeb FrayMédia Motorsport, reinforcing their position as the dominant force in the SSV class at the world’s most demanding rally.