Maastricht, 7 November 2024 - Team RaceArt will return to the Dakar Rally in 2025. Bolstered by the arrival of a new navigator and building on the foundations of its technical and operational partnership with QFF Racing, Roger Grouwels will embark on his third adventure in the legendary desert rally with the goal of reaching the finish line for the first time.
Grouwels, an accomplished circuit racer with championship titles in Supercar Challenge, Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux and Ferrari Challenge, has increasingly shifted his focus towards off-road racing in recent years. He took part in the Dakar Rally in both 2023 and 2024, but mechanical problems prevented him from reaching the finishing line.
For his third attempt at Dakar, Grouwels will pilot a newly built South Racing Can-Am Maverick 1000R T4. This buggy features full homologation for the 2025 season.
RaceArt is once again partnering with QFF Racing for the 47th running of the legendary desert rally. The two parties already worked together during both the previous edition of Dakar and October’s Rallye du Maroc and are now further continuing and expanding the existing partnership. Offroad specialist QFF, with its home base in Eersel, Brabant, will carry out logistical and on-the-ground operational duties. RaceArt, for its part, will oversee the preparation of Grouwels’ buggy out of its Maastricht headquarters. Additionally, RaceArt mechanics will travel to Saudi Arabia to provide Grouwels with operational assistance.
Dakar 2025 will also mark the first time that Grouwels will work together with new navigator Rudolf Meijer. The 37-year-old boasts significant experience in off-road rally racing. Meijer has competed in dozens of rally events as a navigator, taking part in the likes of the Rallye du Maroc, Hungarian Baja, Rallye Breslau and Morocco Desert Challenge. He finished in the top ten of the Light Prototypes category during his debut Dakar appearance in 2023. Meijer’s first Dakar with RaceArt is the first step in a partnership between driver and navigator.
The 2025 edition of the Dakar Rally will take place January 3-17 in Saudi Arabia, running between Bisha and Shubaytah. Grouwels, Meijer and the rest of the team will once again have to contend with a series of steep challenges. These include a 48-hour chrono stage in which competitors will have to spend the night in one of several bare-bones bivouacs scattered across the desert, as well as an 800-kilometer marathon stage during which mechanical crews will not have access to the drivers’ camp. The finish, meanwhile, will take Grouwels and Meijer through Saudia Arabia’s fearsome ‘Empty Quarter,’ which at 650.000 square kilometers is the largest sand desert on Earth.
Roger Grouwels: “There’s nothing quite like Dakar and I can’t wait to go back. The past two years have allowed me to experience in person just why this rally is held in such high regard around the world. Next year’s route is once again looking like a huge challenge and there’s no denying it’s going to be really tough. However, through our partnership with QFF and with Rudolf alongside me as my new but experienced navigator I believe we have everything we need to put in a good showing.”
Rudolf Meijer: “I look forward to joining Roger, Team RaceArt and QFF Racing in next year’s Dakar Rally. I have been looking to establish a regular driver-navigator partnership for some time. I like the prospect of working together with somebody for a longer period of time. It allows you to develop a good understanding and working relationship and ultimately that will make you faster. The goal is to build a team that will allow Roger to reach the next level in his rallying. I can’t wait to get started!”
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