The Dakar Rally field could be a little greener in 2026. According to a report from Diario AS, Kawasaki is looking to field two KLX450 bikes starting with the 2026 Dakar Rally.

The report indicated Kawasaki had been preparing an entry for roughly six months, and two project managers were in the bivouac during the rest day to analyze the environment. Kawasaki technically already had a presence in the field as a partner in HySE, which is fielding the hydrogen HySE-X2 in collaboration with other Japanese automotive giants in the Mission 1000 class, though a bike program would obviously be a standalone effort.

Kawasakis have been used at Dakar since the inaugural edition in 1979, when Daniel Piton finished 39th on a KL 250. Laurent Charbonnel won the opening stage of the 1990 race on one, while Guido Maletti finished sixth in 1996 on a KLE500. The most recent appearance of a Kawasaki bike was a KXF450 piloted by Patricio Cabrera to a 38th in 2018.

Despite such a history, the manufacturer has never backed a full factory rally team. The aforementioned instances were predominantly privateers or importers and regional dealerships.

Kawasaki is already heavily involved in off-road racing as one of the top manufacturers in motocross and supercross. It is an 11-time AMA Supercross champion in the 450cc class while leading all marques in 250cc titles with 23, while also competing in MXGP and the SuperMotocross World Championship.

Diario AS noted the addition of a rally division also coincides with Kawasaki shuttering its successful World Superbike Championship team at the end of 2024, though it remains in the series as a partner to the revived Bimota team.

Featured image credit: Kawasaki