When Ukrainian troops get their next round of BFGs, they’ll come with Moroccan sand rather than Saudi.

Since 2023, Benediktas Vanagas has donated used tires from the Dakar Rally to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. While the 2027 Dakar will be in Portugal and Morocco, incidentally having moved from its usual abode in Saudi Arabia due to a war, Vanagas and his colleague Aidas Bubinas will continue their donations.

“Dakar is coming soon,” Bubinas said on Friday, “there will be wheels to the front again…”

The Ultimate class, which Vanagas’ Toyota Hilux competes in, uses the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KDR3 Evo 2.0 tire.

Despite the wear and stress the tires take, they remain in good condition for non-competition use afterward. Off-road tires are built with reinforced sidewalls that can absorb impacts with sharp objects. The 37-inch KDR3 Evo 2.0 has a more flexible sidewall and thicker tread to prevent punctures, which decreases traction but improves durability. These traits make rally tires popular among Ukrainian soldiers.

“Sports wheels are like good military boots,” Vanagas explained. “Transport moves more safely where driving conditions are especially abraisive: potholes with sharp corners in the asphalt, concrete debris, rebar, and scrap iron. These tires have particularly hard sidewalls. They survive where standard wheels would ‘give up’.”

Toyota Gazoo Racing Baltics has routinely sent aid in the form of equipment to the ZSU. Bubinas, a filmmaker who’s also competed in rallies on a motorcycle like Baja Poland, facilitates the deliveries from Lithuania. One such campaign in fall 2025 entailed going through the frontline cities of Pokrovsk, Kupiansk, Vovchansk, and Sumy. The team’s also sent heavy-duty tires for special forces.

During the 2026 Dakar, Bubinas auctioned off race merchandise and gear to raise funds for Ukrainian relief efforts. Ignas Daunoravičius, who was a navigator in January’s Dakar Classic and will compete in 2027 on a bike, donated a goody bag to the cause.

Featured image credit: via Benediktas Vanagas