Polaris and Sébastien Loeb Racing entered the 2025 Dakar Rally aiming to defend their SSV class title. The six-part Defending Dakar video series follows the RZR Pro R Factory, the people behind it and the two-week race that ended with rookie driver Brock Heger and navigator Max Eddy Jr. winning the class. Watch every episode in order below.
In 2024, Xavier de Soultrait and Martin Bonnet won Dakar’s SSV class in a Polaris RZR Pro R Factory. Both returned for 2025, joined by Americans Heger and Eddy and the Polaris-backed pairing of Florent Vayssade and Nicolas Rey. Heger arrived after winning the 2024 SCORE Baja 1000; Eddy brought prior Dakar navigation experience. Read more about the 2025 Polaris Dakar team and the 2024 SSV victory.
Jump to an episode: 1. Double Down · 2. The Machine · 3. Drivers · 4. Trust · 5. Into the Storm · 6. Triumph
Episode 1: Double Down
The opening film introduces the returning champions de Soultrait and Bonnet and the new American crew of Heger and Eddy. It sets up the challenge: bring another Dakar SSV title home in a factory-developed Polaris RZR Pro R race car.
Episode 2: The Machine
Episode 2 visits the engineering and preparation behind the RZR Pro R Factory. Reliability, chassis strength, cooling and suspension all matter when a crew must cover thousands of miles across changing terrain. For a closer look at what the competition vehicle shares with a showroom model, see our Polaris RZR Pro R versus RZR Pro R Factory comparison and the Gen 2 race car announcement.
Episode 3: Drivers
The third film focuses on the crews. Heger and Eddy approached their first Dakar together with very different experience: Heger was a proven desert racer making his event debut, while Eddy knew the demands of rally navigation. De Soultrait and Bonnet returned as the defending SSV champions; Florent Vayssade and navigator Nicolas Rey formed another Polaris crew.
Episode 4: Trust
Dakar asks the driver and navigator to make decisions together under pressure. The navigator interprets the organizer’s roadbook, tracks the route and calls out hazards while the driver manages pace and the vehicle. Episode 4 examines the communication and confidence needed between Heger and Eddy, as well as the other Polaris crews. Dakar uses roadbooks and regulated waypoint and GPS systems, so navigation is more involved than simply following a GPS route.
Episode 5: Into the Storm
The story moves from preparation to competition. This episode follows the Polaris team through the prologue and opening stages as Heger, de Soultrait and their navigators settle into the race. The crews and mechanics adjust their approach as the course grows more demanding and the marathon stage approaches.
Episode 6: Triumph
The finale covers the team’s road to the finish. Heger and Eddy won the 2025 Dakar Rally SSV class in their rookie pairing, securing a second consecutive category victory for Polaris and Sébastien Loeb Racing. For finishing times, the race narrative and images, read our separate 2025 Dakar victory report.
For the wider story of the program, explore our Polaris RZR Factory Racing history. The 2025 Dakar result is covered in depth in the race report linked above.
