FPT Cursor 13 delivers one-two finish in Dakar 2026 rally

The Rooy FPT teams, led by drivers Vaidotas Zala and Ales Loprais, have taken a one-two podium finish at the Dakar 2026 rally.

The racing trucks are powered by the Cursor 13 engine supplied by FPT Industrial. The engines delivered the performance needed to overcome desert racing, high-speed off-road tracks and very challenging conditions.

Racing truck fitted with FPT Cursor 13 engine in the Dakar rally (Photo: FPT Industrial)

“We are proud to see our powertrain solutions triumph at Dakar 2026, thanks to state-of-the[1]art performance, reliability and service!,” said Giovanni Crepaldi, vice president, FPT Sales & Marketing.

“FPT powers and assists customers all over the world in their daily missions. Here, we brought our technology and customer service capabilities to the toughest desert dunes to succeed in the most extreme rally in the world.”

Being the technical partner of the Rooy FPT teams allowed the company to put its engineering know-how to the test in the most iconic rally.

The Cursor 13 engine was not only used in the Rooy FPT team vehicles – 20 of the 46 trucks competing in the race used the power units. Since 2023, the top three positions have been taken by trucks powered by FPT engines.

Driver Vaidotas Zala said: “I am sure we have one of the top engines in the Dakar rally, especially power-wise. And everything really worked well. We didn’t have any issues whatsoever. And considering it was two weeks and 5,000 kilometers of off-road racing, we have to say that it is a great technical achievement.”

Ales Loprais added: “What I especially like about this [Cursor 13] engine is the torque, because you can play a lot in the dunes and you can use the entire torque curve. Everything needs to be 100% to achieve the goal we came for.”

To help deliver the racing success, the FPT Customer Service team used engine monitoring systems to anticipate potential issues, supported by advanced telematics solutions. These proactive checks improved overall performance and ensured zero downtime.

For FPT customers, the telematics systems are like having a virtual mechanic onboard, detecting and preventing faults while delivering uninterrupted operation.