Eryk Goczał‘s quest for a second consecutive Dakar Rally victory was smooth sailing when he scored five Challenger stage wins in the first half, but he and his EnergyLandia Rally Team‘s hunt has come to an abrupt end. On Saturday, the FIA announced he and his uncle Michał Goczał have been disqualified for non-compliant clutches that were discovered during inspection prior to the start of the Chrono Stage on Thursday.
The FIA reported their Taurus T3 Max cars had clutches made from carbon composite material, which is one of four elements that cannot be used to build most parts on the car under Article 2.3 of the FIA International Sporting Code’s Appendix J, Article 286 (which covers Challenger class regulations); titanium and magnesium alloys and ceramics are also forbidden. Only some parts like the dashboard, intake manifold, air ducts, and the exterior bodywork may use composite material.
At their hearing on Saturday afternoon, the team defended their clutches by pointing to the same ISC article’s Article 8.1.1 that states construction of the clutch is “Free”. The stewards rebutted this by pointing out that although they have the freedom to build the part themselves, the prohibited materials are still outlined in that rulebook and should have been heeded.
“To put it plainly, the technical regulations authorise the use of a free clutch, but another article states that carbon can only be used for an exhaustive list of elements in which the clutch does not appear. The carbon clutch provided no additional performance, but probably better reliability,” explained Taurus, a joint project between MCE-5 Development and Wevers Sport. “Taurus, whose original clutches are made of steel, regrets this misinterpretation of the technical regulations by the EnergyLandia Rally Team and also expresses its heartfelt sympathy for the two crews who did a fantastic job during the first week of the Dakar 2024.”
Shortly after the penalty was issued, the team stressed they have “fully studied” the regulations and committed “no error or oversight” while receiving “assurance from technical persons associated with the organizers that a clutch (elements of clutch) made of carbon is permitted, in particular as it does not provide any advantages or impact on the vehicle’s performance.” They further alleged the inspection “could have been carried out at the request of one of the other teams taking part in the rally with the aim of eliminating key competitors from the rally,” pointing out the fact that Eryk had been leading the Challenger overall by over an hour after winning the Chrono Stage. EnergyLandia intends to appeal the case, though they lamented that it must receive a response from the FIA within thirty days well after the race had already ended.
“As a side note,” they concluded their statement by throwing a shot at the Amaury Sport Organisation for revoking credentials from Eryk’s mother’s Agata Goczał, which “deprived her of the opportunity to stay in the participants’ campsite.”
The disqualification continues an inauspicious start to the EnergyLandia Rally Team’s foray into Challenger after winning the 2023 Dakar Rally in SSV (formerly T4). Eryk’s father Marek Goczał won in their Challenger (then T3) début at the Rallye du Maroc in October, though Eryk had won the first two legs only to suffer an engine failure. Eryk also had another run-in with the FIA when he was reprimanded for lighting a fire in the desert to signal for help, which is illegal under Moroccan law.
With Eryk out of the picture, fellow Taurus driver Mitch Guthrie now leads the Challenger overall. Eryk and Michał had finished 1–2 in the Chrono Stage. Marek suffered a mechanical issue during the stage that dropped him from second overall to twenty-eighth.