Kamena Rally Team delays 2024 Dakar Rally plans

In September 2022, Kamena Rally Team revealed their new Polaris RZR Pro R that they hoped to use in the 2024 Dakar Rally. Unfortunately for the Polish outfit, their début will have to wait a year as the Polaris does not meet FIA regulation.

The team would have raced in the T4 class for production side-by-side vehicles with Tomasz Białkowski as driver and Dariusz Baśkiewicz by his side. Białkowski finished thirteenth overall and fourth in T4 in the 2022 FIA European Cup for Cross-Country Bajas standings, winning the class at the season-opening Baja TT Dehesa Extremadura.

Their Polaris RZR is capable of 225 horsepower, though they had to install a limiter to restrict it to 170 hp to comply with rules. Despite this, the car was still flagged for other concerns that they felt could not be addressed before vehicles must be in Barcelona by in December.

“It’s not easy for us to share such news, but unfortunately our dreams of taking part in the Dakar Rally have to wait a while longer,” begins a statement from the team. “We have made a difficult, but right decision for the entire team to postpone the plans related to the ‘Nasi na Dakar’ project until next year.

“There are several reasons for this, and the main one is the fact that our Polaris RZR Pro R with a 2.0 engine has not been certified for the T4 category. Unfortunately, the preparation of the vehicle exceeded the time limit, and both we and our Polaris factory team are very interested in ensuring that the white-and-red rally car passes appropriate tests before the start and is reliable during the rally. We also admit that the significant increase in the costs of participation in the Dakar Rally itself is currently beyond our capabilities.

“Of course, this does not mean that the ‘Nasi na Dakar’ project is closed. On the contrary, we will take even greater force to take actions that will allow us to achieve our intended goal. We would like to thank our partners and sponsors and all the fans who have been incredibly supportive of us from the very beginning of the project. Thanks to you, we believed that taking part in the Dakar Rally was possible. You are our driving force, that’s why we don’t give up and keep going! We will soon present our plans for the next season. We have also prepared a few (not only rally) surprises for you.

“We are competitors who never give up, and motorsport is our greatest passion. We always do everything to prepare for rallies as best as possible and successfully reach the finish line. That’s why we will focus on competing in the next season to experience rally emotions with you. Thank you once again for your support and trust!”

In January, the team attended the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia to familiarise themselves with the country. The Dakar is a desert event in stark contrast to the forests and mountains of Europe, though mechanic Tadeusz Białkowski opined to Głos Wielkopolski in March that some stagaes resemble those from Spain and Portugal. Fittingly, both Iberian countries will join the Dakar in hosting a round of the World Rally-Raid Championship in 2024.

Kamena Rally Team became a Polaris factory outfit in 2021 after enjoying success in the Polish Cross-Country Championship.