Following the Varela family in the 2025 Brazilian Rally Raid Championship has been nothing short of cinematic. In the most recent round, the grueling Rally do Jalapão, brothers Rodrigo, Bruno, and Gabriel pulled off a rare feat—all three stood on the podium in the final stage in Tocantins. Rodrigo took the overall win.
It’s been a season full of triumphs for the so-called "dust clan," with victories in every round of the championship so far. Now, the brothers and their father Reinaldo Varela are gearing up for their biggest challenge yet: the legendary Rally dos Sertões, which kicks off this Saturday (July 26) in Goiânia and wraps up on August 3 in Barra de São Miguel.
Bruno, who made history as the youngest driver to win in the UTV category back in 2017, reflected on the family’s journey in Brazil’s most iconic off-road race:
“Winning the Sertões is an unmatched achievement. It’s incredibly tough. In ten years competing, I’ve only won it once—in 2017. Rodrigo also has one victory, and Reinaldo leads with two. I keep that trophy under lock and key,” he joked. Paired with co-driver Ari Fiuza, Bruno added, “Let’s see if I can bring another one home this year—we’ve been working hard for it.”
3,000 Kilometers of Pure Challenge — The 2025 Rally dos Sertões officially begins this Sunday (July 27) in Goiânia. Covering 3,482 km in total—with 2,215 km of timed special stages—the race crosses Minas Gerais, Bahia, Pernambuco, and Alagoas, finishing in Barra de São Miguel after eight demanding days.
Last week, the Varela Can-Am Monster Energy Team completed final tests with their Maverick R UTVs, each crew fine-tuning their machines. Gabriel Varela, who will race with navigator Michael Masson, pushed hard in the shakedown and commented on the team’s readiness. The Varelas are entering their 25th Sertões, and the family boasts four titles in Brazil’s biggest rally.
“We made some final adjustments, but these are the same cars we've been racing all season, and they’ve been running strong,” said Gabriel. “The goal is to maintain a strong pace from Goiânia to Alagoas. The team did an incredible job during our prep phase—it’s time to put both the machines and our mental and physical strength to the test.”
Bruno and Ari will compete with the #103 in the UTV Ultimate class, the same category as Rodrigo and his co-driver Mateus Mazzei, who are in the #102. Gabriel and Michael Masson will tackle the rally in the #155 in the UTV 1 class, while Reinaldo and Túlio Taniguchi will drive the #372 in the Challenger class.
Source: BestPR
Photo: Doni Castilho/DFotos
Disclaimer:
As a service to the sport we all love and follow, Rally-Raid Network posts numerous media releases from a wide variety of sources on our website. Due to the large number, and some times short time available, it is nearly impossible to review each public release. These articles are written by reporters or press officers who work for various organizers, teams, drivers, riders, and other parties, and they do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Rally-Raid Network.
