“You have to dream responsibly, because dreams come true”
CREW FACTS
B.V.
- One of the best-known drivers from rally-mad Lithuania, Benediktas Vanagas has been competing in the Dakar since 2013, having made his cross-country debut at the Silk Way Rally in 2009. The 47-year-old has been steadily improving every year and landed his country's best-ever overall result in the Ultimate class at Dakar 2024 (8th). It was also the first Top 10 finish at the Dakar for a driver from a Baltic state (Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania). Before that pioneering performance, Benediktas had come agonisingly close in 2019, finishing just five seconds outside of the Top 10!
- Since 2021, he has been competing with factory support from Toyota Gazoo Racing as their regional Baltics team. In the past he has dispensed advice and even sold cars to fellow Dakar competitors from the region.
- His car, jet black featuring a white knight, is nicknamed 'Black Hawk'. This year's Toyota Hilux will be 'Black Hawk 8.5' - an EVO version of the car Benediktas drove last year.
- In 12 participations, Benediktas has reached the finish line nine times. No doubt his most spectacular withdrawal came at Dakar 2022, after a huge crash from which he and co-driver Filipe Palmeiro thankfully walked away unharmed. He also completed Dakar 2015 in the Top 25 despite spending a week with four broken bones in his left wrist.
- A familiar face back home, Benediktas has won the national 'Steering Wheel of the Year' prize for excellence in motorsport. He is also a soldier in the Lithuanian army.
S.G.
- A highly experienced co-driver, Szymon Gospodarczyk was drafted in as a late replacement for Kuldar Sikk, who suffered a spinal injury at the Central European Rally in October. This will be an 8th Dakar appearance for Szymon but his first in the Ultimate class.
- The 39-year-old Pole first got interested in rally at the age of 15, when his brother Kuba took him to a local event. Five years later he took part in his first rally as a licensed co-driver, and recalls being so stressed that he got into the wrong car! "I put on the helmet and fastened my seatbelt, and only when I opened the pace notes did I realise I'd mixed up the cars!"
- Szymon was Polish Rally Champion in 2019 and 2021 alongside Miko Marczyk, with whom he competes in the WRC/ERC. He was 2nd in the ERC co-drivers' standings in the 2021 season, and just helped Miko come 3rd in the drivers' standings in 2024.
- Szymon made his Dakar debut with Claude Fournier in 2018 and did a superb job to finish 3rd in the fledgling SSV class. After a brief stint as a truck navigator with Patrice Garrouste (9th in 2020), he embarked on a successful partnership with Michal Goczal in the SSVs. The Polish duo - national cross-country champions in 2019 - came as high as 4th at Dakar 2021. They were disqualified from Dakar 2024 (along with Michal's nephew Eryk Goczal) for the use of a non-compliant clutch disc.
2025 AMBITIONS
B.V.: “I had two feelings after Dakar 2024. First of all I was happy! Competitors from the Baltics have been chasing a Top 10 finish for years, it's been a very big fight. And finally, in my twelfth Dakar, we finished eighth overall. The Black Hawk landed! I was absolutely delighted with the result. But then you start thinking about what to do next. Psychologically, Top 10 was one wall we had to break through. And another wall is Top 5. We have to get into the Top 5, then the Top 3, then win the Dakar! It's a very big challenge. You have to dream responsibly, because dreams come true. It won't be easy in 2025, because we are still a small private team. We are upgrading our T1+ Hilux to an Evo version, so I think we should be up there with all the major guys driving Toyota. Otherwise I think we are set up more or less the same as last year. We've just made some small steps further. This year I'm coming with Szymon Gospodarczyk because Kuldar Sikk injured his back doing some WRC gravel crew work for Ott Tänak. He's ok now, he just can't do Dakar this year. But he will be back. It's great to have Szymon on board for Dakar 2025. He has a strong rallying background and 10 years of cross-country experience. The fact that we haven't worked together doesn't help, but we'll do our best.”
S.G.: “Rallies were very popular in Poland when I was a child. I watched them on TV and always wanted to try them. I would sit in front of the screen and admire the exploits of Krzysztof Holowczyc, Sebastien Loeb and Carlos Sainz. What's incredible is that now, during the Dakar, I can talk freely with them. One of my best moments on the rally was finishing third on my debut in 2018, and I have fond memories of stage victories with Michal Goczal. The Dakar has taught me a lot. First of all, that everyone makes mistakes, even the best. And there's a way out of every situation. When I return to normal life after the Dakar, I have no problems and I'm very motivated to work. I'm excited about my debut in the Ultimate and happy to keep developing. I've already competed in the SSV, Challenger and truck categories. It's about time I started in a car that has a windshield and isn't very cold! (laughs) Last year, Benediktas and Kuldar were eighth. I would really like to finish the rally in the Top 10, and my dream is to win a stage."
