CAN-AM

"This round in Portugal was incredible with all these fans that we haven't seen on the Dakar or the ADDC. It was very different from the terrain we'd encountered so far, very technical, but we won and we're going to Argentina with the same objective and push like hell for the Argentinian fans this time."

Rokas Baciuska was leading the T4 modified SSV category aboard his Red Bull Can-Am Factory Team Maverick right up until the very last stage of 2023 Dakar and it looked like he was going to cruise to victory, after his 3rd place in 2022. But the toughest rally-raid in the world is a cruel mistress and just kilometres from the end he and his Spanish co-driver Oriol Vidal hit mechanical problems that allowed rival Eryk Goczal to take the class win by just 16 minutes. But the young Lithuanian has experienced similar disappointments in his previous career as a rallycross driver and knows how to bounce back. On the final finish line of the Dakar, Rokas declared he was already focused on winning the 2023 Rally Raid World Championship. And that’s exactly what he did with two rounds left to go! First on the Abu Dubai Desert Challenge, he repeated that performance in Mexico at the Sonora Rally to build up an unassailable lead. With a second T4 world championship trophy safely on the mantelpiece, Rokas and Oriol were back for the last 2023 W2RC round, the Rallye du Maroc, competing in the lightweight prototype T3 category in preparation for the 2024 Dakar. It is one of the most fiercely fought over categories and there will be a horde of talented young drivers in Saudi Arabia fighting it out for victory. And that’s just how Rokas and Oriol like it!