Castrol is partnering with a leading non-works truck racing team participating in the 2025 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia to further evaluate the performance of its engine oils in extreme conditions, using the findings to help guide the development of future advanced commercial vehicle lubricants.
Castrol has signed a one-year sponsorship agreement with the Netherlands-based Firemen Dakarteam, which will use Castrol’s products to lubricate its racer, built by custom rally truck specialist, MM Technology. This same vehicle clinched overall victory in the truck category at the 2024 Dakar Rally, when it was piloted by Martin Macik.
Throughout the Dakar Rally 2025, which runs for three weeks between 3 and 17 January, the Firemen Dakarteam’s challenger will use Castrol lubricants supplied via local distributor, Schouten Energy to help keep its race vehicle operating reliably at the limit. Team mechanics will then take daily lubricant samples for comprehensive analysis by the Castrol research and development team based at the company’s headquarters in Pangbourne, UK. The results will be used to further optimise Castrol’s existing range of advanced commercial vehicle lubricants and will help inform the development of future products.
The Dakar Rally is seen as one of the toughest tests in global motorsport for competing vehicles, their critical components and fluids. The gruelling 2025 race will stretch for almost 8,000 kilometres from Bisha to Shubaytah in Saudi Arabia, with trucks, like the one to be piloted by Firemen Dakarteam’s Richard de Groot, crossing the desert at speeds of up to 140 km/h.
De Groot, who finished ninth in last year’s race, has been a long time competitor in the Dakar Rally. This year will be his thirteenth time participating in the endurance event, having raced eight times on a bike before switching to racing trucks in 2016. With both the Dakar winning truck and Castrol’s premium lubricants, he plans to take the next step in the development of his team.
Michael Baker, European Business Development Director at Castrol Europe, said: “Every product in Castrol’s growing portfolio of advanced commercial vehicle oils, fluids and greases benefits from our 125-year heritage in the premium lubricants market. Truck manufacturers, operators and workshops know they can trust products bearing the Castrol brand to deliver quality and dependability – even when pushed to the limit – helping them improve operational efficiency and reduce downtime. We look forward to supporting Firemen Dakarteam as they take on another Dakar Rally challenge, undoubtedly one of the greatest tests of motorsport endurance.”
