Filip Grot has been accepted for his Dakar Rally debut in 2026, where he will arrive with W2RC starts and an FIM Bajas World Cup Junior Trophy under his belt.

“Dream come true,” wrote Grot after receiving his acceptance letter from the ASO on Friday. “[B]ig thank you to everyone who has made it possible, my family, sponsors and @basworldktmracingteam.”

Grot won the Junior Trophy, which is awarded to the top FIM Bajas rider under the age of 25, in 2024. During the year, he also competed in the World Rally-Raid Championship at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and Rallye du Maroc, finishing 29th in Rally2 at the former and 31st at the latter.

He returned to the W2RC in May at the South African Safari Rally, riding for BAS World KTM Racing Team. Despite a handful of navigation errors and dealing with a damaged oil cooler in the marathon, Grot finished tenth in Rally2 with a best daily performance of tenth in Stage 1. He was also third among Junior Trophy riders.

The top ten in a W2RC event alone would have likely sealed his ticket to Dakar, though his prior starts in 2024 as well as the title certainly help too.

Featured image credit: Irina Petrichei / Edophoto / DPPI / ASO