Pedro Pinheiro is set for his Dakar Rally debut in 2026 after getting his acceptance letter from the ASO.

Pinheiro posted on Saturday:

I’ve received confirmation from the organizers—I’m one of the 130 riders selected to participate in the 48th Dakar Rally!

From January 3rd to 17th, I’ll be in the Saudi deserts living my dream, pushing limits, and accelerating toward new achievements.

See you soon, Yanbu!

He usually competes in his native Portugal and other rallies on the Iberian peninsula, winning the 2024 Raid Ferraria.

He entered three FIM Bajas World Cup rounds in 2024, including two races in neighboring Spain: Pinheiro towed reigning champion Mohammed Al-Balooshi to a stage finish at the Baja TT Dehesa Extremadura, where he finished 16th overall, followed by a 12th at the Baja Aragón. Pinheiro also entered that year’s Hungarian Baja, but crashed and broke his ribs.

Also in 2024, he made his World Rally-Raid Championship debut at the inaugural BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal. He finished 25th in Rally2.

As part of Pinheiro’s campaign to make the 2026 Dakar, he upped his W2RC calendar for 2025 in partnership with Old Friends Rally Team. He was eliminated from the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge by mechanical failures, leaving the South African Safari Rally as his last chance.

Pinheiro ultimately finished 15th in Rally2 with a best stage performance of 12th on the last day. He stayed in the top 20 for his class on each day of the rally, his worst outing still being an 18th in Stage 3.

Featured image credit: Edoardo Bauer / Edophoto / DPPI / ASO