Polaris RZR Pro R Heads to Dakar

Polaris rolled out some exciting news while we were all stuffing our faces with pie over the holiday. The company has partnered with Sébastien Loeb Racing, building out a Pro R to take on the SSV T4 class in the Dakar Rally. If Loeb’s name sounds familiar, it should. The Frenchman is the most successful World Rally Championship driver in the history of the sport, winning the championship a record nine times in a row. His company may know a thing or two about screwing competition cars together.

Loeb won’t be behind the wheel of this Pro R. He’ll be competing in another category, but Loeb Racing drivers Xavier de Soultrait and Florent Vayssade will be at the helm. Those two should have no trouble squaring off against this year’s 4,903-mile route.

Sébastien Loeb Racing says the factory race Pro R uses a unique, lightweight chassis designed to be FIA T4 compliant. Engineers tweaked things a bit to allow for spares and tool storage. That’s important because the T4 class does not allow for a pit crew. Competitors are on their own when it comes to making repairs. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine has been “race-tuned,” though there’s no information on how much power the mill produces. The rig rides on Fox 3.0 Live Valve X2 internal bypass shocks.

This marks the 46th Dakar, one of the most challenging and deadliest races in the world. More than 750 competitors from all of the world will participate in this year’s running, which includes an insane 48-hour challenge stage that will cover more than 362 miles of timed racing.

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