Mark Johnston is getting back into the rally world. The South African will enter the Baja Rally as a malle moto rider in September, then do the same for the 2026 Africa Eco Race next January.

Johnston had planned to race the 2023 Dakar Rally but was sidelined by a broken back, which came not long after breaking his shoulder. The injuries effectively put his time in cross-country rally on hold for the next few years, though as he noted in his BackaBuddy campaign, “quite clearly the rally spirit never died.”

Since then, his focus had been on running Johnston Moto, a company dedicated to restoring classic motorcycles. One of the more notable bikes in his portfolio is a 1982 BMW R80G/S, a model that dominated the Paris–Dakar Rally throughout the 1980s and was only his second ever build. Johnston’s most recent work was a Yamaha RD350, which he completed in May.

He’s also done plenty of projects involving Husqvarna. One Husky, a 500, would be his steed when he finished sixth and won the Malle Moto class at the 2021 Kalahari Rally. Johnston explained in his fundraiser that he enjoys racing without help from a crew because he considers it “the true spirit of taking on a rally.”

The Cape Town resident will be the first South African to run either the Baja Rally and AER as a solo rider.

“I’m certainly not in it to win the class,” he noted. “I just want to finish and enjoy what is surely going to be one epic adventure.”

The 2025 Baja Rally runs from September 28 to October 4, while the 2026 Africa Eco Race starts January 24 and finishes February 7.

His BackaBuddy can be accessed here.