Ignacio Casale departs Buggyra Racing after two years

In 2021, fresh off his third Dakar Rally Quad class victory, Ignacio Casale decided to switch to the much larger Trucks with Buggyra Racing. After two years of piloting a Tatra Phoenix for the team, he announced Monday that he has left the organisation. His 2023 plans were not immediately revealed.

“In this post I want to inform you that I no longer belong to the @buggyra_racing @tatratrucks team,” began Casale’s entry. “I want to thank the entire Buggyra team for these two fantastic 2 seasons that we lived together on my Tatra truck. Thank you for trusting me and giving me the opportunity to drive the spectacular Tatra. Thanks also to my boss, Martin Koloc, who became a great friend. I’m sure that just is a “see you soon”. Soon I will report on my future and Dakar 2023. I hug everyone.”

Casale made his Dakar début in the Trucks in 2010, where he shared an Atakama with his father Francisco and finished twenty-sixth. He moved to Bikes for just the following year before committing to the Quads. In eight tries, he took the Quad win in 2014, 2018, and 2020. He also entered the SSV category in 2019.

Seeking a new challenge, he returned to Truck racing with Buggyra in 2021 and finished ninth. His 2022 Rally saw a pair of stage retirements but ended on a strong note as he placed third in the last leg and classified twenty-seventh. While he was able to finish both tries, he struggled with mechanical issues throughout his Buggyra Dakar tenure. For example, Stage #5 of the 2022 race saw Casale arrive at the bivouac late due to major engine problems that knocked him out of the previous leg, and he was able to muster speed for a top-ten run before his Phoenix lost cylinders and its turbocharger.

Outside of Dakar, he primarily competes in domestic cross-country rallies in his native Chile such as last month’s Atacama Rally.

Buggyra has not announced Casale’s successor in the Tatra for 2023. The Czech outfit is fielding an SSV for the “Dakar Sistaz”, twins Aliyyah and Yasmeen Koloc, who race for the team in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and sports cars. Josef Machacek, the 2009 Quad and 2021 Light Prototype winner, finished twenty-fifth in SSV with Buggyra in 2022 and also currently competes in the Euro Series.

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