After five Dakar Rallies together and a third-place W2RC points finish, Juan Cruz Yacopini and Overdrive Racing are going their separate ways.

Yacopini posted the following message on Monday:

My career began in Argentina in 2017, racing with my lifelong mechanics. For the most important races, the Overdrive mechanics joined me, and together we made dreams come true.

With them, I competed in World Championship events, my first Dakar, and a full World Championship where we finished third—one of my greatest achievements! I also completed five Dakars, with two unforgettable seventh places.

All of this was possible thanks to the incredible team I had behind me. Each one of you was fundamental in my growth, not only as a driver but also as a person.

I take with me thousands of moments, conversations, lessons learned, and, above all, the satisfaction of having shared this journey with such professional and caring people.

Today I’m starting a new path, but I only have words of gratitude for each mechanic, for each person who made everything work perfectly.

Thank you, guys.

After starring in CaNav and the South American Rally Race, Yacopini made his Dakar Rally debut in 2021 with a Toyota Hilux from Overdrive Racing. He eventually committed to the full World Rally-Raid Championship, finishing third in the 2023 standings.

However, his 2024 campaign was more inconsistent as he finished 12th in points.

2025 began with a seventh at the Dakar Rally followed by fourth in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. A fairly modest 14th at the South African Safari Rally followed. However, his luck ran out at the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal when the radiator broke, knocking him off the pace despite running top ten. Yacopini finished 22nd in Ultimate and 35th overall, dropping him to eighth in the championship with one race to go.

Outside of the W2RC, Yacopini has also been competing in the FIA World Baja Cup. He currently leads the standings with overall wins at the Jordan Baja and Italian Baja, and he was also the highest-finishing WBC driver at the Baja Aragón.

Featured image credit: Horacio Cabilla / ASO