The million-dollar roof

Dakar 2025 | Stage 9 | RIYADH > HARADH
January 14 ^th 2025 - 10:15 [GMT + 3]

The Dakar Classic includes an out-of-the-ordinary competitor this year, one who has the most sponsors on the bivouac, including for the ‘modern’ Dakar. However, they are invisible on Toyota number 714. The map of the islands of Croatia, Juraj Sebalj's homeland, that covers the bodywork is exemplary in its sobriety. So where are they hidden?

Every competitor on the Dakar starts their participation in the same way: with the race for sponsors. The elite competitors such as Yazeed Al Rajhi only display a single partner. For the Saudi, it is his country’s colours. On the Dakar Classic, we have found his opposite, who, however, is not a rally-raid champion: “The islands of Croatia are the postcard of my country, but I’m not paid by the Ministry for Tourism, I don’t need that. It’s an honour to represent Croatia”.

Juraj Sebalj is not the type of man to sell his soul… but when it comes to his roof, it’s no problem! Where the number one rule of sports communication dictates that partners should be in the limelight, and therefore as visible as possible, he turns them skyward, where no one can see them, and reduces them to the size of postage stamps! His secret is that he has sold the space on his roof for 3 euros per square centimetre, and do you know what? “In the beginning, I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to sell everything but afterwards I regretted not offering all the space on my car. I created an app using The Million Dollar Homepage as the inspiration. It was an English student’s project in 2005 in which he sold 1 million pixels at 1 euro each to pay his university fees”. Between 300 and 400 sections were sold, ranging from big companies to personal messages. While the concept of selling the space on-line came from the student in question’s economic model, he was inspired by a friend who could not accompany him on a rally and who asked him to stick his name on the car so he would feel like he was going with him. The Croatian has also been inspired behind the wheel of his Toyota this year. Following 10th place last year on his first participation in the Dakar Classic, until the start of stage 8, he was still in 4th position in the general rankings, behind the three best specialist crews on the race! However, a big mistake led to his BJ71 dropping out of the top 20. Inevitably a little disappointed by this setback, the driver from Zagreb and his messages to the skies will perhaps not be the star of this 5th edition as he had dreamed but Juraj is certainly the only competitor who knows how to speak to the stars of the Saudi desert …