"Our dream is to have the entire Goczal family on the podium"
Crew facts
M.G.
- Michal made his rally debut in 2019, laying the foundations of the Energylandia Rally Team together with his brother Marek. In his debut season, he won the Polish Cross-Country Cup in the overall classification, and a year later he triumphed in the entire 2020 Polish Championship in the T4 category.
- He has extensive Dakar experience, combined with numerous stage victories in the world’s toughest rally, as well as in various rounds of the World Championship in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Michal took part in the Dakar Rally for the first time in 2021 and immediately secured the first place in the rookie classification in the T4 category (4th overall).
- In 2022, together with his brother, they were undoubtedly the fastest crews, winning 8 out of the 12 stages in the T4 class (SSV). In 2023, the team was joined by Marek’s 18-year-old son, Eryk Goczał.
- During the 2025 season, together with the rest of the Energylandia Rally Team, Michal began his adventure in the premier Ultimate class, competing with a Toyota Hilux T1+.
- Michal used to have Szymon Gospodarczyk on the seat right next to him during several years. Szymon is now competing in this 2026 edition as the copilot of Eryk, Michal's nephew, while Diego Ortega is replacing Szymon. This is the first Dakar in the same car for Michal and Diego.
D.O.
- The Dakar has been a passion for Diego since his early ages. He always watched the rally on TV with his family. His parents, Diego and Valentina, also made a special gift to their little boy: a Dakar video game! The rally has always been a dream for him. Diego's dad was a professional mechanic. He made a lot of efforts to give his kids a future.
- Diego is now participating for the 7th time to this legendary race. His best result was with the official Can Am South Racing team (2nd in the T4 category in 2022). Since then, he has always tried to fight for the top overall classification. This year, thanks to the EnergyLandia team, he has fulfilled another dream: being able to compete in the top Ultimate T1+ category, which he has been preparing for these past few months.
- His idol has always been Stéphane Peterhansel. For him, Stéphane is the person who embodies all what you can imagine as the true Dakar. Since he was a teenager, he participated in motorbike and quad competitions.
- Diego's son Iker loves rallyes, his idols are Erik Goczal and Joao Ferreira. He loves Toyota cars and wants to become a rally pilot as he grows up
Ambition
M.G.
"I think my ambitions align with the ambitions of all the Goczal’s. It has always been our dream to have the entire Goczał family on the podium together with Eryk and Marek. And despite moving to the Ultimate this year, the highest class, that goal remains unchanged."
"I think my ambitions align with the ambitions of all the Goczal’s. It has always been our dream to have the entire Goczał family on the podium together with Eryk and Marek. And despite moving to the Ultimate this year, the highest class, that goal remains unchanged."
D.O.
"I'll be brief and concise: I never like to set a ceiling or a goal for myself in the Dakar. I always fight to be the best and always try to win. Then, the desert puts us in our true place. This is my first
"I'll be brief and concise: I never like to set a ceiling or a goal for myself in the Dakar. I always fight to be the best and always try to win. Then, the desert puts us in our true place. This is my first
Dakar in the top category. I'm very excited to do well, but I also know that I am fighting with the best pilots in the world. Just being there is a dream come true."
