After winning the 2023 Dakar Rally in T4, Eryk Goczał is climbing up the ladder. On Wednesday, he announced he will return to the race in 2024 in the higher T3 category for Light Prototypes.
“My big dream and goal is to start in the main category: in cars, together with the best drivers in the world,” said Goczał. “Moving to the T3 class is a step towards fulfilling this dream and a chance for new experiences and development. Before Dakar 2024, we will definitely start in several training events.”
Goczał became the youngest winner in Dakar history when he won four stages and the T4 overall in January at the age of eighteen. Although the victory made him the category’s World Rally-Raid Championship points leader, he elected to skip the season to focus on completing secondary school before heading to university at the EHL Hospitality Business School.
While academics take priority, he plans to continue racing in 2023 by competing in the Drift Masters European Championship, whose six-round season begins in Ireland on 6/7 May and ends in his native Poland on 15/16 September. Goczał won the 2022 Polish Drift Championship in the BMP class.
He also intends to take part in domestic rallies to prepare for Dakar, such as when he ran the Baja Poland ahead of the 2023 Rally.
“I made a conscious decision to put aside the pursuit of the title this year and focus mainly on learning,” he continued. “Of course, this does not mean that you will not see me in competitions this season.
“This year, I will take part in the full cycle of the Drift Masters European Championship. I will start the competition in May in Ireland. Then it will be time for starts in Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Germany and at the PGE National Stadium: it is in Poland, in Warsaw, at this beautiful stadium, that the final of the series will take place. I believe that it will be an amazing adventure with a very high level of sports competition and an excellent atmosphere.”
The T3 class, created after a split from T4, is intended for race-built prototype SSVs unlike T4, which are generally stock models. Goczał’s family, including his father Marek and uncle Michal, all race in T4 and scored stage wins at Dakar.
