Christopher Polvoorde: “Dakar’s definitely one of those dreams for me”

October 31, 2025

Trophy Trucks are the premier vehicle in desert racing, much like T1+ cars are the pinnacle of rally raid. While there is overlap between the disciplines, both are still completely different beasts.

Christopher Polvoorde got to try his hand at the latter during the Red Bull Rampage in mid-October, piloting the Ford Raptor T1+ with Rampage competitors and media members riding shotgun. He published a video of his adventures and his thoughts on driving it on Thursday.

Polvoorde’s Trophy Truck is also a Ford Raptor, albeit the similarities end there. In his video, he notes the rally model has limitations due to FIA rules whereas SCORE regulations for his truck are so lax that they have “zero rules pretty much” outside of safety.

The M-Sport Raptor is also designed to take a hit before riding it out smoothly, while the Trophy Truck is supposed to absorb multiple hits since it goes through whoops. Polvoorde also pointed out the rally Raptor has “insane” braking, a “temperamental” clutch similar to pavement race cars, and weaker suspension that’s more optimized for rally desert terrain.

“Is it a Trophy Truck? No. Is my Trophy Truck a rally car? No,” Polvoorde commented. “They’re different beasts. They’re both amazing. The T1+ was just so much fun. I mean, I love my Trophy Truck and the capabilities of my Trophy Truck are unmatched, but to be a little more nimble, agile, a lot more playful, it was really fun. I really enjoyed it.

“Hopefully, one day I can go race it, but who knows? Dakar’s definitely one of those dreams for me. It’s just making the stars align. It’s extremely expensive to go over there, but we’ll see. I’m young and I think this weekend just proved there’s still so much to come and how exciting this career can be.”

While Dakar remains a bucket list item for now, his focus is on another legendary off-road race in November’s Baja 1000. After skipping the San Felipe 250, he retired from the Baja 500 and finished fourth in the Baja 400. Polvoorde was also the fastest qualifier at the 500, and won his class at the Toyo Tires Desert Challenge in February.