Dakar-winning truck racing team selects Castrol VECTON for 2026 World Rally-Raid Championship

MM Technology, one of the world’s most successful truck rally teams with outright category wins at the Dakar Rally in 2024 and 2025, has chosen Castrol lubricants to support its EVO4 truck and help it maintain its competitive edge at the Dakar Rally and selected rounds of the World Rally-Raid Championship. 

The new collaboration, which will run for a minimum of two years, will see Castrol sponsor the MM Technology rally raid truck and supply a performance-focused version of Castrol VECTON’s 10W-60 engine oil formulation. Castrol will also supply a full range of other lubricants, including greases, brake fluids, coolants, and transmission and differential oils, all of which will be used both in MM Technology’s EVO4 truck and in its support vehicles.

The new partnership will contribute to the advancement of Castrol’s future commercial vehicle oil products. As part of the collaboration, MM Technology team mechanics will collect daily lubricant samples for in-depth analysis by Castrol’s research and development experts based at the company’s headquarters in Pangbourne, UK. Insights will inform the optimisation of upcoming Castrol VECTON lubricants designed for road-going commercial vehicles. 

Ahead of the 2026 season, Castrol will supply the team with products to use at the upcoming Rallye du Maroc 2025, which takes place from October 10 to 17 in Fez, Morocco. MM Technology’s founder, Martin Macik, widely seen as one of the world’s best endurance truck drivers, will pilot the rally-winning EVO4 truck through the five-stage course, which includes a tortuous combination of dirt tracks, sand, rocky surfaces and dunes. 

The EVO4 rally raid truck nicknamed ‘Joseph’ and produced in-house on a bespoke platform features a specially developed FPT Cursor 13 engine highly modified by MM Technology. The six cylinder 13-litre unit produces over 1,000 HP and 5,000 Nm of torque, providing the raw power needed to conquer the most challenging of terrains. 

A proven winner at Dakar Rally

The MM Technology team will use the North African Rallye du Maroc event as a testbed for the 2026 Dakar Rally, which will take place in Saudi Arabia from January 3 to 17, 2026. The 8,000-kilometres Dakar route includes 5,000 kilometres of timed sections, where the EVO4 will cross the rugged terrain at speeds of up to 140km/h. MM Technology has already achieved considerable success at Dakar, widely regarded as the toughest race in the world, having secured first position in the truck category for the past two years running.

Bjoern Wagner, VP Commercial Vehicles Europe at Castrol, said: “The team at MM Technology are highly ambitious and have a track record of wins, so this will be an ideal partnership – pushing our products to the limit in the harshest environments, and giving us invaluable feedback that will guide the development of our future commercial vehicle lubricants.

“This enhancement to our existing programme will ensure Castrol continues to keep road-going heavy-duty trucks and other commercial vehicles performing while minimising downtime.”

Martin Macik added: “Having the right engine oil and fluids is vitally important for the health and performance of our rally contenders. The engine oil in our EVO4 has to be able to handle extreme temperatures and reduce the need for constant oil changes as we combat the sand and dust particles that naturally find their way onto components. We have had a very positive experience of using Castrol’s VECTON engine oils and other lubricants, and I look forward to tackling some of the world’s toughest races with Castrol on board.”