Juraj Varga traded in one four-wheeler for another when the former Quad rider made his début in a side-by-side vehicle at last weekend’s Hungarian Baja. Although he was not classified because his Polaris RZR Pro R has not been homologated by the FIA, he feels he is starting to get comfortable in his new confines.
As a noncompliant car, Varga’s Polaris raced as #000 and was excluded from the final results. Nani Roma’s Ford Raptor T1+ and Balázs Molnár’s Can-Am Maverick R had similar arrangements, though the former was still permitted by organisers to be classified for the overall—albeit outside of the FIA European Baja Cup—and ultimately went on to win; Molnár’s Maverick R was officially regarded as a retirement by the Hungarian Cross-Country Rally Championship, though he set the second fastest time in his class.
Even if Varga was not eligible to win in the SSV category, on-track experience is still on-track experience. Radovan Schneider, a member of his Varga Racing Team, served as co-driver.
“We’ve been getting every stage and I’m feeling better and better behind the wheel,” wrote Varga. “Another new thing is that I don’t rely on myself for navigation, but get all instructions from the passenger. Radovan Schneider filled the role of the navigator, who mastered his role and did a perfect job.
“Of course, we did not avoid minor technical issues as the Polaris has only been at home for two months and is limited in kilometres driven. But with the right team, nothing is impossible.”
Varga switched to driving SSVs following the Amaury Sport Organisation’s decision to drop the Quad class from the Dakar Rally starting in 2025. He and his fellow riders were informed of the news during the World Rally-Raid Championship’s BP Ultimate Rally-Raid in April; dismayed, he opted to withdraw from the race after one stage. In June, Varga acquired the Polaris from Quadmoto centrum.
He finished third in the final Dakar for quads in January, improving a position from his maiden start the year prior. 2023 also saw him place third in the W2RC Quad standings with a best run of second at the Rallye du Maroc.
It is not uncommon for Quad riders to switch to an SSV, even before their removal from the Dakar programme. Josef Macháček, Ignacio Casale, and Sergei Kariakin won the Dakar on a quad before becoming SSV drivers, while reigning Dakar winner and World Champion Manuel Andújar won in his maiden start as an SSV navigator at the Rally Raid San Juan in July. 2023 W2RC runner-up Rodolfo Guillioli and 2023 Dakar third-place finisher Pablo Copetti have also made the move, while that year’s champion Laisvydas Kancius is now a co-driver in the FIA’s premier Ultimate category.