“No two Dakar are the same”
Crew facts
G.P.
- Gintas Petrus is one of Lithuania’s most experienced rally drivers, from a country passionate about rally-raid and the Dakar. Now 60 years old, Gintas made a pioneering debut in 2002, becoming only the second Lithuanian driver to complete the rally alongside Viktoras Kastelionis, driving a basic Toyota Land Cruiser. He did it again in 2003 and 2007, before returning in 2020 when the Dakar moved to Saudi Arabia.
- Gintas has helped pave the way for a new generation of talented Lithuanian drivers who have performed at the Dakar in recent years, including Laisvydas Kancius, Benediktas Vanagas, Rokas Baciuska, or Vaidotas Zala. He has become a mentor to many, all while balancing his family life raising five children, a challenge as demanding as a Dakar Rally!
- The Lithuanian desert lover has competed in all Saudi Arabia’s six editions in a two-wheel drive Optimus buggy, prepared by the French manufacturer MD Rallye Sport. His best overall result came in 2025, finishing 24th, and just one place shy of the 2WD podium.
- Back again in 2026, Gintas will reunite with Nursultan Abykayev, whom he met during the 2017 Africa Eco Race and whose capacities as a navigator impressed him. Unable to participate in the Rallye du Maroc, they will use the first stages to make quick adjustments and fine-tune their coordination for the Dakar. As always, Gintas is coming full of passion, enthusiasm and desire to create new memories.
N.A.
- Nursultan Abykayev’s passion for motorsports comes from his father, Marat, a racing driver and President of the Automotorsport Federation of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Marat competed in numerous rallies, and his son began accompanying him at the age of 18, initially assisting with team management, and later as a navigator.
- Nursultan’s first training in sand dunes took place in December 2012 in Dubai. His first competition was on a quad at the 2015 Kazakhstan Rally, the most famous race in his country. Since then, he has gained experience in events across countries like Morocco, Senegal (Affrica Eco Race) or Turkmenistan.
- Although he had not competed for several years, Gintas Petrus, whom Nursultan had met during the 2017 Africa Eco Race, remembered him and offered him a navigator’s seat for the Dakar Rally. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that the young operations director of his family business, and travel enthusiast, could not refuse.
Ambition
G.P.: “We did a good job last year and I still have the same car, a two-wheel drive. The first 20-30 vehicles are very modern, with many factory cars and fast 4x4 T1+. So, to compete with my 2WD is becoming more and more difficult. But we have experience, we want to continue; we made small upgrades and got a slightly larger air intake to make it more powerful. We hope every piece will help a little and still allow us to be well-positioned for the amateur race, we don’t try to catch the top teams. We want to do our best, whatever that may be. It’s interesting to see how we can compete versus other 2WD cars, having this little competition inside the big race. We are colleagues, we know each other, there is a competitive spirit and it’s fun. As an amateur driver, the most important challenge is to overcome the desert and yourself. We don’t have a specific target for our finishing position. It would be nice to improve my best place, but years are not equal. Sometimes the machine will have issues, sometimes the navigator or driver will make a mistake. You must consider all the components of the race. No two Dakar are the same, it’s always different. We’re going to Saudi Arabia for the seventh time, but the Dakar changes because of your abilities, different routes, your car, the issues you’ll face…. You have a start and a finish, but between them, it’s a different adventure!”
N.A.: “I met Gintas around ten years ago in Morocco during the Africa Eco Race. He went with his now wife, and she had to drop out after a few stages. I had a license to compete, so I stepped up. At the time, I was accompanying our Off-Road Kazakhstan Team in the assistance part. Gintas remembered that we raced well together and asked me if I wanted to take part in this year’s Dakar. This race is the pinnacle of cross-country rally, and I don't know if I'll get this opportunity again, so I took it. Personally, I hope to be consistent and a reliable navigator. I think we can reach a good overall result if we make few mistakes. It's a marathon, not a sprint, and we need to be mindful that one day doesn't make the whole result.”
