Julian Johan will be the third Indonesian driver to race the Dakar Rally when he makes his debut in 2026.

Johan is perhaps better known as Jejelogy, the largest social media personality in Indonesia for off-road content with over 560 thousand subscribers on YouTube and 2.2 million likes on TikTok. As a driver, he has raced professionally since 2011, primarily in his home country with success in disciplines like short course and rally. His father Ismail used to compete in the WRC and national rally championship.

“This Sunday, I registered to take part in the 2026 Dakar Rally,” said Johan on Tuesday. “This is a race that I have followed since I was little, when it was still called the Paris–Dakar Rally. I dreamed of becoming a driver who could eventually take part in this legendary race. In my elementary school yearbook, I wrote that my dream was to be a racer.

“Step by step, I have worked to make this dream come true, looking for opportunities, looking for ways, and looking for courage! Finally, there was a point where I felt, ‘Okay, I have to join the Dakar Rally!’ This is an opportunity that may not come twice so I dared to make this decision.

“Now that I’ve registered, there is no turning back. I have to try so that this journey goes smoothly.”

Indonesia is not typically regarded as a rally hotbed, though the Southeast Asian country has seen success in the regional Asia Cross Country Rally. Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Indonesian branch is one of the top teams in the AXCR, while Johan races for his own operation in a Toyota Land Cruiser dubbed “Shirowolf”. He finished 22nd overall and fourth in the T1G class at the most recent AXCR in 2024.

Tinton Soeprapto was the first Indonesian to compete in the Dakar, doing so in 1990 in a Mitsubishi Pajero; Soeprapto and navigator Dali Sofari prepared for the African terrain by testing along the active volcano site of Mount Bromo. Two decades later, Kasih Hanggoro entered the race in a McRae Rage Buggy in 2010 and a Mitsubishi Montero V60 the following year, retiring from both.

Featured image credit: Julian Johan