Kamena Rally Team has enjoyed success in the FIA European Baja Cup with the Polaris RZR, but their Dakar debut will instead come in one of the most iconic trucks in the rally’s history.

On Saturday, the team announced they will enter the Dakar Classic in 2026 with the legendary DAF 3300 nicknamed “The Bull”. Tomasz Białkowski will drive the truck with Dariusz Baśkiewicz and Adam Grodzki as navigator and mechanic, respectively. Team de Rooy, the owner of the truck, is leasing it to Kamena and will offer technical support.

“We’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time, and now we can finally fulfill one of our biggest dreams,” Białkowski stated. “We were already prepared on the sports side, but competing in Dakar is a very complex project. Thanks to a large group of sponsors and friends who got involved, we can now take it on.”

The Bull competed in the 1985 Paris–Dakar Rally, the sequel to Jan de Rooy’s first purpose-built rally truck “Two Headed Monster”. Also a 3300, the Two Headed Monster featured a double-cab and twin-engine design but retired from the 1984 race due to a broken rear wheel; de Rooy concluded it was too heavy, so he slimmed down the design for 1985 to create the Bull. Due to a 15-hour penalty on the final stage, de Rooy finished second in the Truck category behind Karl-Friedrich Capito’s Mercedes.

De Rooy eventually moved on to the infamous TurboTwin line in 1986, which he ran with until DAF ended factory support three years later.

While it only has one head unlike its predecessor, the Bull is also a bright yellow 4×4 truck with two engines: the front produces 420 horsepower and the rear 450 hp. Its name is also reflected by the bull logo at the top; Kamena has also added their decals, though the original livery remains mostly the same down to the “De Rooy Transport” text below the windshield.

The Bull remained in the de Rooy collection over the years, though the race team eventually shifted to IVECO. In 2024, Team de Rooy expanded their racing operations into the Dakar Classic by creating DAF de Rooy Classics.

Janus van Kasteren Sr., the father of the 2023 Dakar Truck winner and de Rooy-aligned driver, piloted the Bull to a 57th overall in the 2024 Classic. At this year’s edition, the elder van Kasteren and the Bull placed 70th overall and fourth in H2T.B.

Now, the truck will be in Polish hands. Kamena Rally Team had plans of racing Dakar with their RZR in 2024 but could not get the car approved by the FIA in time. In the meantime, Białkowski and Baśkiewicz won the 2024 European Baja Cup and competed in the Baja 1000. The team will return to the latter in November as part of a collaboration with Wataha Racing Team.

“This is a rally beast with two engines that generate enormous power together and provide unmatched off-road capabilities,” Baśkiewicz commented. “It was built with extreme desert conditions in mind, and that’s exactly what we’ll be facing at the Dakar. We’re very excited because it’s a huge challenge for us.

“The truck is much bigger, heavier, with completely different parameters. We love challenges and working together, and we know the preparation time will be very demanding. Our extensive rally experience will definitely be very helpful.”

Featured image credit: Aurélien Vialatte / ASO