Eryk Goczal was one of the standout figures of the Dakar 2024, dominating the Challenger class in a devastating way. However, this Saturday he was disqualified, as well as his Energylandia Rally Team teammate, Michal Goczal.
According to a statement from the organization, both Taurus vehicles were scrutinized during the rest day. They were found to have a carbon clutch, which is prohibited under the regulations.
Until this decision, which already has effects on the results of the sixth stage, Eryk Goczal had only not been the winner of the class on two days. He was leading with over an hour’s lead over Mitchell Guthrie (Taurus Factory Team). As for Michal, he was in podium positions until dropping to sixth after falling behind significantly in the 48-hour marathon stage.
With Eryk Goczal disqualified, the current leader of the Challenger class in the Dakar is now Guthrie, with a 24m16s lead over Cristina Gutiérrez (Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team USA by BFG/Taurus). In third place is Francisco López Contardo (Can-Am Factory Team), 24m34s behind the top.
Revised top ten overall:
