On 27 October 2026, from Leiria in Portugal, DaklaPack Rallysport (DKR) announced a strategic agreement with the Belgian G-Rally Team. DKR is taking over production, technical development, rally support and the supply of spare parts for the G-ECKO Challenge-One and OT3 rally-raid vehicles. DKR calls the deal an important step in the company’s growth and a strengthening of its position in the international rally-raid world.
DKR has locations in Portugal and South Africa and aims to guarantee a smooth transition for existing customers, secure long-term support and develop both platforms further. G-Rally Team and its management remain involved in the project, so that the technical knowledge and experience of the past five years are retained. Operational leadership will rest with DKR.
Dave Klaassen, owner of DKR, says the company wants to offer customers a “professional, reliable and long-term racing partner”. He sees opportunities to develop the platforms further and wants to provide the continuity and support that existing customers expect. On behalf of the G-Rally Team management, Guillaume de Mévius states that after five years of working on the G-ECKO and the OT3, the team has found the right people at DKR to build on that foundation. The team remains closely involved and shares its experience and technical knowledge. De Mévius calls DKR the “right partner” to lead both projects into the future.
What customers can expect from DKR
For existing G-Rally Team customers, little will change according to DKR. Production and assembly of the G-ECKO Challenge-One and the OT3 continue, as do race preparation, maintenance, overhauls and technical development. Spare parts remain available and are supplied worldwide. In addition, DKR offers rally support during national and international events, and customers can turn to it for test drives, driver training and complete arrive-and-drive solutions.
DKR operates out of workshops in Leiria (Portugal) and the Johannesburg region (South Africa). The company wants to grow into a leading, independent service and development organisation in rally-raid, for experienced competitors and newcomers alike.
Two vehicles, one origin
The OT3 is a lightweight prototype for the T3 class. The project was launched in 2019 by Overdrive Racing, which later handed it over to G-Rally Team. According to the team, the OT3 is a “mini-T1” thanks to its sequential gearbox. Guillaume de Mévius, founder of G-Rally Team’s rally-raid division, told Forbes Belgium in March 2026 that the takeover went smoothly and that Overdrive itself proposed handing over the project. Overdrive itself remains active with the Toyota Hilux in the Dakar and the W2RC. From chassis number 16 onwards, the OT3s were built entirely in G-Rally Team’s workshops in Wavre (Walloon Brabant).
The G-ECKO Challenge-One is the next step on from that: a vehicle designed and developed entirely in-house at G-Rally Team and presented in October 2024 during the Rallye du Maroc. According to the W2RC data, the G-ECKO has a 1,000 cc turbo engine with a five-speed gearbox, an output of 177 hp, a weight of 950 kilos and a 130-litre tank. In line with the FIA regulations for this class, its top speed is capped at 135 km/h. The OT3 Evo 2 comes in, according to the same data, at 900 kilos and a 120-litre tank.
According to De Mévius, G-Rally Team has fifteen employees, achieves a finishing rate of over 85 percent and stands on the podium in one out of every three races. Its customers have included Cristina Gutiérrez (Dakar 2021, in an OT3 of the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team), former WRC champion Kris Meeke (Dakar 2024) and Charles Munster.
G-ECKO in the Dakar 2026
The most recent showcase is the 2026 Dakar. There, G-Rally Team put two G-ECKOs on the start under the banner of the “KTM X-Bow powered by G Rally Team” programme, plus two additional G-ECKOs in the Challenger class, both with Dutch crews. Kees Koolen with Jurgen van den Goorbergh and Lex Peters with Mark Salomons drove in a G-ECKO. Peters finished in the top ten of the class.
For Dutch rally-raid fans, the takeover is therefore also of interest beyond the business world: several Dutch crews race with this equipment.
Puck Klaassen and the KTM X-Bow
The best-known G-ECKO driver is Puck Klaassen. She grew up in South Africa, but her family originally comes from the Netherlands. Puck came to rally-raid via motocross and showjumping. Her first rally was the 2024 Dakar Classic, which she drove with her father in a Porsche. In 2025 she moved up to the Challenger class, first with Charan Moore in a G-Rally Team OT3 (19th in the class at the Dakar), and later that year with navigator Augusto Sanz. At the 2025 Rallye du Maroc, Klaassen and Sanz took their first stage win and class podium in the W2RC.
For 2026, Klaassen became the face of the “KTM X-Bow powered by G Rally Team” programme. It is the first off-road activity under the X-Bow name, after new owners had taken over the KTM X-Bow brand. In the 2026 Dakar, her third appearance, Klaassen made history. On 6 January she won the third stage and became the fifth woman ever to take a stage win in the Dakar, after Jutta Kleinschmidt, Cristina Gutiérrez, Sara Price and Dania Akeel. Klaassen and Sanz finished fifth in the Challenger class, making them the highest-placed Dutch crew.
Who is DaklaPack Rallysport
DKR was founded by Dutchman Dave Klaassen. After ten years in the Netherlands, the company moved to Portugal. It provides rally support in Portugal and South Africa among other places and was the official distributor of Red-Lined Motorsport for Portugal and Spain. In South Africa, DKR is the official representative of Taurus T3. Dave Klaassen and Tessa Klaassen finished the Dakar at their first attempt in 2023, in a Red-Lined VK56. In the 2026 Dakar, the pair started with a DKR EVO Ultimate in the T1+ class. Pim Klaassen and Mark Laan drove for DKR in a Taurus EVO Max in the Challenger class.
