The T3 category for Light Prototypes, or purpose-built racing side-by-side vehicles, is often used as a final stepping stone for drivers hoping to move up to the premier T1 class for prototype 4×4 cars. Guillaume de Mévius, who finished third in T3 at the 2023 Dakar Rally, thinks the gap between T3 and T1 could be narrowed to make such a transition easier but is not completely sure how.
Besides the obvious equipment advantage that T1 possesses, the disparity also stems from the differences in races that encompass cross-country rally. De Mévius oversees the T3 outfit GRallyTeam that races in the FIA European Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, which consists of relatively short rounds that last two to three days and primary race on narrow forest and country roads. Conversely, the Dakar Rally and larger World Rally-Raid Championship conduct their events in wide open deserts across one to two weeks. Since the latter allows vehicles to showcase their power, T1 cars are able to pull away from the field there much easier than they do in Bajas, where there is far more parity across the classes. For example, T1+ entries—a higher subcategory of T1 for upgraded prototype cars—swept the podium at the European Cup’s latest round Baja TT Sharish Gin while the T3 of João Dias just missed the top three by less than a minute.
However, this is a double-edged sword as Baja success in a T3 car might not properly translate to the W2RC. To bridge the divide, de Mévius suggested raising the power for T3 cars, arguing that drivers eyeing a graduation to T1 need to be in cars with more comparable capabilities.
“It’s challenging, for sure,” de Mévius told Cross-Country Rally News following the Baja TT Sharish Gin. “The T3 category in the World and European Cups of Baja, Rally-Raid Championship, Dakar, and other big races, especially in the open desert, is different. In my opinion, in the open desert, we could even allow more power or capabilities for T3 to close the gap between T1 and T3. When you have drivers who aspire to join T1+, they need to learn the speed of T1+.
“Currently, I find the gap in the desert to be a bit too large. However, when you come here, in Europe or in Baja, the gap is much smaller between T1+ and T3 because the stages are narrower. T1+ might be too close to T3, making it challenging to find an ideal solution.
“In my view, we should push T3 a bit more, but we also need to find a solution for T1. I don’t have the perfect solution, so I’m not sure what would work best. But in the open desert, we should aim to close the gap between T3 and T1 so that young drivers who want to move up to T1 can learn the required speed and skills. Perhaps speed limits could vary between races; that’s one potential approach, but I’m uncertain.”
His sentiment echoed those of reigning Dakar Rally winner and W2RC points leader Nasser Al-Attiyah, who tested an MCE-5 Taurus T3 Max in July. The session took place the day after winning the Baja España Aragón in his Toyota Hilux T1+, and he described the T3 as a “really nice machine” while stressing that rally raid newcomers should consider it before tackling stronger cars.
“I think for young drivers and new generation, [a T3 would] be much better for them,” said Al-Attiyah following his test. “I know everyone’s dream is to be in T1+; this is wrong to jump immediately. I think you need to win and you need to compete in T3 and then you can (move up), step by step, but this is a good machine to start.”
The T3 and T4 classes are for SSVs, the latter being production cars. While there is no set ladder of progression, drivers typically begin in T4 before moving up; for example, then-eighteen-year-old Eryk Goczał won the T4 class at the Dakar Rally in January and is set to move up to T3 in 2024. Rokas Baciuška, who has clinched his second consecutive T4 championship, raced a T1+ at the Baja Aragón but has reiterated it was just to gain more racing experience while T3 remains his next target.
De Mévius’ comments come as part of a broader interview discussing his thoughts about the European Cup. While he enjoys the series, he feels the current rule of counting just the three best finishes for the championship is inadequate for a five-race season and expressed interest in having trophies for different age groups.