Proxcars TME Rally Team will eschew the 2025 Dakar Rally in favor of doing the Africa Eco Race, with Magdalena Zajac and Błażej Czekan bringing their trusty Toyota Hilux.

Had she opted for the Dakar in Saudi Arabia, Zajac would have made her third start in the race. After retiring from her debut in 2023, she and navigator Jacek Czachor finished 45th in class at the 2024 edition and tops among T1.1 cars.

While the Dakar Rally is certainly the biggest rally raid, the AER follows the Dakar’s original route from Europe to Senegal and provides an alternative for those who want to try something besides Saudi Arabia. Tomáš Ouředníček, another Dakar veteran and Hilux driver, has also opted for the AER because he wants to experience racing to the city of Dakar.

“This rally is different,” explained the team, “it’s set in the African wilderness, it’s wilder and rougher. It will be a real school of survival, in our opinion more difficult than the current Dakar. Completing it won’t earn us points in any classification or media exposure – few people know such a rally exists.

“Nevertheless, we think it’s worth it.”

Zajac also races in the FIA World and European Baja Cups. She finished 11th overall in the latter’s 2024 Ultimate standings with a pair of class podiums among points-earning drivers at the Italian Baja and Baja TT Sharish Gin. At the Rallye du Maroc in October (part of the World Rally-Raid Championship alongside the Dakar), she was 26th in Ultimate.

The Africa Eco Race starts on December 28 and runs through January 12, much of which overlaps with the Dakar Rally. Zajac is one of six drivers entered in the T1 class.

Featured image credit: Horacio Cabilla / ASO