Crew facts

• As strange as it can be, this Dakar is going to be Maciej first one. His huge experience while rallying in road rallies is a big advantage. Maciej has always dreamed about participating in the Dakar, which was somehow a myth and mystery, something on top of all rallyes. It's a huge adventure and challenge.
• During many years, Maciej thought the Dakar was not achievable for him. He got to know people who showed him the desert and he started to believe that this it's, at the end, an achievable goal. Special thanks to the legend Rafał Sonik, who was the first to show him the desert from a car perspective and shared a lot of his knowledge. He also noted that a lot of people he knew in the past are now engaged in off road. He started to meet these drivers, codrivers and team members and gathered plenty of information.
• Maciej and Marcin are a tremendous duo, rallying in the same car since 2016. They know each other since high school and competed in Polish rallies at the same period. Maciej drove a VW Polo while Marcin was behind the wheels of a Peugeot 106. This year, preparations went under way in order to do their best for the 2026 Dakar edition.
• "Never stop learning", says Maciej Oleksowicz as Dakar 2026 is the beginning of a journey with Off Road Rallies. He gained experience in the Polish Rally Championship and his most intensive season was 2010-2011 in the European Rally Championship (5th and 4th place) and 2012 in World Rally Championship (5thplace SWRC) on a Ford Fiesta S2000.

• Marcin was born in a family where cars and motorsport were a natural part of everyday life. His father competed in rallies when he was young and later ran a car repair workshop. As a child, he spent countless hours in that garage, helping mechanics with simple repairs. Those early experiences shaped his fascination for cars and racing. As a teenager, he started to get involved in motorsport.
• His professional journey began with rallycross, before he moved to rallying, usually in small front-wheel-drive cars. Most of the cars he raced were prepared by himself, which helped him understand every detail of the vehicle and avoid technical issues during competitions.
• This will be Marcin's debut in the Dakar. He has never competed in desert rallies before, but as part of his preparation, he took part in the Rallye du Maroc with Maciek Oleksowicz, where they finished 8th in class and 48th overall. The Rallye du Maroc was for him "a fantastic and very learning experience with all you can find about desert racing : long stages, dunes, navigation and the mental endurance required for this kind of event."
• The polish duo is competing with a Can-Am Maverick R, prepared by South Racing. The vehicle has proven to be extremely capable, durable, and fast — a true benchmark in the T4 category.
• Marcin is also a proud father of 2 boys, Maciej 10 years old and Jas, 4. Both of them have a natural ease with all kinds of vehicles...