Karolis Raišys loves the hunk of junk that is his 1978 Land Rover Series III, which he drove to victory in January’s Dakar Classic. Whether he’ll run it back in 2027, on the other hand, is hard to say.

In a Sunday interview with LRT Radio program Lunch of Champions (Čempionų pietūs), Raišys explained that he’s open to a 2027 return but also that he wants to change things up. He didn’t specify what changes specifically, but doesn’t want to do everything the same as in 2026.

“It’s a very good question and I’m very interested in it, but I don’t have an answer yet,” Raišys explained. “I would really like to change something and the more drastic, the better.

“I’m not saying that I’ve done everything here at the Dakar Classic. You never cross the same river twice. Next year, there will be new competitors and different challenges.”

While the 2027 race will still remain in Saudi Arabia (barring developments related to the ongoing war in neighboring countries), the ASO still makes the effort to ensure each route differs from previous years. Likewise, making the trip is expensive and even more so for privateers and amateurs, so driver turnover is not uncommon.

At the same time, however, Raišys stressed that “I want changes” and that “I hope so” about if he’d return to the Classic with some differences from his 2026 program.

2026 was Raišys’ second Dakar Classic after finishing third overall in 2025. His Land Rover was the oldest vehicle in the field, one that he joked is basically a “solid piece of aluminum and metal”. Despite the age and having a new navigator in Christophe Marques, he won six stages and the overall. The victory also earned him honors from the Lithuanian government, whom he visited on Wednesday.

While a regular in the Lithuanian Rally Championship for much of his career, much of Raišys’ racing as of late has been in vintage rallies like the Classic. After Dakar, he entered the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique and finished 36th in a 1961 Jaguar Mark 2.

Featured image credit: Rodrigo Barreto / FOTOP / ASO