FPT Brings Home a Haul of Awards from the Dakar Rally 2026

 We announced that FPT would embark on the Dakar 2026 experience alongside its usual travel companions: Iveco and Team de Rooy. It was a major success for FPT, marking a historic one–two podium finish for the de Rooy FPT teams, led by drivers Vaidotas Žala and Aleš Loprais, both supported by FPT as technical partner.

FPT Cursor 13 shines on the Dakar 2026 podium

The trucks, powered by the Cursor 13 engine, set the pace from the very first stages of the rally, dune after dune, dominating the overall standings from start to finish. The 6-cylinder 12,9 liters engine (BxS 135×150 mm) delivers 1000 hp and 5000 Nm.

“We are proud to see our powertrain solutions triumph at Dakar 2026, thanks to state-of-the- art performance, reliability and service! FPT powers and assists customers all over the world in their daily missions.

Here, we brought our technology and customer service capabilities to the toughest desert dunes to succeed in the most extreme rally in the world,” declares Giovanni Crepaldi, Vice President, FPT Sales & Marketing.

“Let me thank the entire de Rooy FPT team for achieving this extraordinary result, as well as the other teams who rightly placed their trust in our power.”

At the Top Since 2023

Since 2023, the top three positions have been occupied by trucks powered by FPT, whose engines set the benchmark in the world’s toughest rally. Additionally, the iconic CURSOR 13 engine provided power to 20 out of 46 trucks competing in the rally.

Vaidotas Žala made his Dakar debut in 2016 in the Car class and has competed in several consecutive editions, showing steady progress over the years. After many seasons in the Car class, he made his truck debut in 2025 with the Skuba Team De Rooy FPT, placing fifth. After winning the 2026 edition, he said: “I am sure we have one of the top engines in the Dakar rally, especially power-wise. And everything really worked well. We didn’t have any issues whatsoever.

And considering it was two weeks and 5,000 kilometers of off-road racing, we have to say that it is a great technical achievement. I am proud that FPT is at the front grille of our truck, because it is one of the top brands in the world and an integral part of the de Rooy team’s long-standing legacy. When I went for a change into trucks, I thought I either do it properly with the top team or don’t do it at all. So, I can say the strategy paid off.”

Aleš Loprais, an experienced driver and nephew of the legendary Karel Loprais, made his Dakar debut in 2006. Over the years, he has claimed stage wins and podiums, establishing himself among the top drivers.

At the final stage of the race, where he finished second, he declared: “I focus on staying concentrated, with a clear head, and absolutely focused on performance. You really have a lot of things to do during the race, your brain is working a lot. You have to see everything, and you need to survive the longest rally in the world, which is the Dakar. What I especially like about this engine is the torque, because you can play a lot in the dunes and you can use the entire torque curve. Everything needs to be 100% to achieve the goal we came for.”