Buggyra ZM Racing has forged a multi-year deal with Mercedes-Benz to race the Zetros at the 2027 Dakar Rally and Africa Eco Race.

Martin Šoltys will lead the project as technical director. French truck racing champion Téo Calvet is also onboard in a supporting role. Aliyyah Koloc will remain in the Ultimate class with the Red-Lined REVO, but she is also involved as the truck’s test and reserve driver. A specific driver lineup for Dakar will be revealed in mid-November.

“Truck racing has been an important pillar of our racing activities since our beginnings over 50 years ago,” team owner Martin Koloc said. “Since then, we have won numerous championships in Europe, as well as in China and India. For more than a decade, we have participated in the Dakar Rally with our trucks, achieving fifth place overall in 2023.

“The Zetros is one of the best-known off-road trucks, so bringing Buggyra’s truck racing expertise and the Zetros together makes perfect sense. I am really looking forward to this project.”

Buggyra long had a partnership with Tatra, though the team had been shifting toward building trucks under its own name like the Buggyra Invictus. Šoltys finished 21st in Truck at this year’s Dakar in the Invictus, while Karel Poslední was 18th in the team’s Tatra Buggyra Evo3.

Launched in 2008, the Zetros is an extreme off-road truck currently used by emergency workers and militaries across Europe. Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks, a subsidiary of Daimler Truck that focuses on heavy-duty trucks, has been keen on ramping up the Zetros’ production as part of Europe’s rearmament.

“We are very happy to accompany our brand ambassador in this new adventure,” Daimler Truck France president Ulrich Loebich added. “Téo is a great champion who does not shy away from any challenge. By tackling the legendary Dakar Rally, he is once again demonstrating his passion and determination. I am sure that with the Mercedes Zetros, he will have an ally of choice because our truck is now recognized as a reference in off-road racing worldwide.”

Šoltys will run this weekend’s Rallye du Maroc in the Invictus, which has remained untouched save for minor adjustments since Dakar. The race will mainly be a test session for the team before shifting to working on the Zetros.

Featured image credit: Buggyra ZM Racing