Jorge Brandão made his Dakar Rally debut this year on four wheels. In 2026, he will make his Dakar debut on two.

A businessman and longtime enduro racer, Brandão started doing rallies when he was 30. Besides competing as a rider, he also raced side-by-sides as both a driver and navigator. He typically does the CPTT back home in Portugal and the FIM Bajas World Cup on his Honda CRF450 while dabbling in events like the Africa Eco Race in a Can-Am Maverick X3, even winning a stage at the latter in 2024.

His most recent action was a ninth-place finish for FIM Bajas riders at the Baja Aragón.

In January, he entered the Dakar Rally as the co-driver for Carlos Vento. Racing in the SSV category, they retired after finishing 11th for their class in the first stage because of Vento experiencing a medical scare.

Dakar was not Brandão’s first World Rally-Raid Championship start as he ran the 2024 Rallye du Maroc as a bike rider in Rally2 but did not finish. Still, his résumé and recent Dakar experience earned him his ASO acceptance letter.

Like his and Vento’s Can-Am, Brandão’s bike for the 2026 Dakar Rally will be fielded by Old Friends Rally Team.

Featured image credit: Frederic Le Floc’h / DPPI / ASO