The legendary Tatra 815 Puma will look a bit different at the 2026 Dakar Classic. Instead of white-red-blue tricolor used in 2025, it will now adorn the black-and-orange look of Harley-Davidson.

Ostrava Harley-Davidson, a dealership in the Czech Republic’s third largest city, formed a partnership with Loprais Team in which they would sponsor the Puma. As a result, the doors of the truck now features a large H-D logo and accompanying Ostrava text running down the sides.

Harley-Davidson is not a brand with much of a rally raid history, though the legendary motorcycle company currently operates a Pan America 1250 rally program with Joan Pedrero. The bike is too powerful for the Dakar Rally but appears at various FIM events in the Trail category as well as the Africa Eco Race.

While certainly a radical departure from previous liveries worn by the Puma, the rear window still pays tribute to its history. A graphic of the team’s late patriarch Karel Loprais and his signature are on the window, while the C-post includes six wreath decals signifying Loprais his Dakar Rally Truck wins in 1988, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, and 2001. The same image, where he’s also accompanied by an African child whom he met, has also appeared on past Puma designs.

Karel Loprais won the 1998 and 2001 races with the Puma. During his time with the truck, it sported looks like an all-white base with sponsorship from Generali Česká pojišťovna and a red-and-white #69 InstaForex scheme.

At the 2025 Classic, the Puma sported a white, red, and blue tricolor. Giometal and TV Barrandov were the primary sponsors.

The Puma finished 34th overall and won the H1T class ahead of its teammate Tatra 815 HAS. Igor Pazdera drove the Puma with Olga Lounová and Milan Holáň accompanying him, while Jiří Husek was the HAS’ driver alongside Lubomír Dočkal and Dominik Holáň.

Loprais Team plans to bring three Tatras to the 2026 Classic. Aleš Loprais has his own truck that he’ll race in the main Dakar Rally.

Featured image credit: Aleš Loprais