Best Trucks: Top Picks & Reviews

Kamaz was the manufacturer to beat in the truck rankings of the Dakar Rally for more than two decades. Due to the war in Ukraine, the Russian brand has no longer been welcome in the rally raid since the 2023 edition, after which the baton was taken over by Iveco. The last three overall victories have all been achieved by drivers with a truck from the Italian brand: Janus van Kasteren was the strongest in 2023, followed by two overall victories for Martin Macik.

Van Kasteren returns after a year’s absence in the 2026 Dakar, but he will not do so with a truck. The Dutchman makes his debut in the car rankings. Macik, on the other hand, is present. The Czech will again compete in an Iveco Powerstar further developed by MM Technology, which he shares with fellow countrymen Frantisek Tomasek and David Svanda. The trio is hunting for a third Dakar victory in a row. If he succeeds, Macik will follow in the footsteps of Eduard Nikolaev. The Russian was the last to win the Dakar truck category three times in a row between 2017 and 2019.

Macik’s main challenger in the 2026 Dakar appears to be from the Netherlands. This year, Eurol Rallysport has exactly the same truck as the defending champion and Mitchel van den Brink must use that material in the hunt for his first Dakar victory. The 23-year-old, who is supported in the Iveco Powerstar by navigator Bart van Heun and mechanic Jarno van de Pol, finished fourth, third and second in the last three editions. A shot at final victory is therefore the logical next step. He is also supported in this by father Martin van den Brink, who drives the second truck of Eurol Rallysport.

Team De Rooy, which won the 2023 Dakar with Van Kasteren, should also not be ignored in advance in the battle for overall victory. The Dutch racing team is sending two trucks to the 2026 edition, including Ales Loprais. The Czech managed to secure third place in the final rankings last year, after staying very close to Macik in the first days of the rally. This year, the nephew of six-time winner Karel Loprais wants to take a shot at winning and he will do so again with an Iveco Powerstar. A similar truck will be ready for teammate Vaidotas Zala, the number five of 2025, at the start of the Dakar in Yanbu.

The 2026 Dakar Rally starts on Saturday January 3 with a prologue around Yanbu. Two weeks later the rally raid ends in the same city.

We want your opinion!

– The Motorsport.com team