Nathan “Nate” Hayashi will race the Dakar Rally in 2026 in a 2023 Ford Bronco Raptor. To prepare, he and The Gear Shop Technical Motorsport Team plan to take part in the Rallye du Maroc.

The Gear Shop is a performance workshop in Calgary that offers automotive services and upgrades for cars and off-road vehicles. Hayashi founded the business and runs it alongside a team that includes Ukrainian specialist Misha Onufriichuk, who’s competed in rally raids like the Morocco Desert Challenge and introduced Hayashi to the sport.

In March, the team entered the Sonora Rally where they won their class and finished second overall. Soon after, they were accepted for the 2026 Dakar.

The Ford Bronco Raptor that they built complies with FIA regulations, though Hayashi noted it took until July for the federation to finally give them the greenlight because of how little gray area there is in the rulebook. While it’s theoretically capable of competing in Stock for Dakar, the vehicle is placed in the Rallye du Maroc’s Ultimate class under a special subcategory for SCORE-eligible vehicles.

Hayashi views his operation as the inverse of the 1993 film Cool Runnings, which is loosely based on the Jamaican national bobsleigh team. While that film is about a team from a tropical country competing in the Winter Olympics, The Gear Shop Technical Motorsport Team is a stable of Canadians from snowy Alberta heading to the deserts of Mexico, Morocco, and ultimately Saudi Arabia.

Canada doesn’t have much of a history at Dakar, and Hayashi’s crew will be just the third to compete at Dakar with a car. Team Aldo Racing, consisting of Québécois David Bensadoun and Patrick Beaulé, was the first as they finished 39th overall in 2012 before improving to 32nd in 2015. Matt Campbell of El Martillo Racing placed 52nd in 2014.

Other Canadian Dakarians have been on two wheels, with Patrick Trahan leading the way in 2010. Beaulé and Jack Lundin would try their hands at Dakar bike racing too. Jordan Strachan Reed was the most recent example, finishing 57th in Rally2 at this year’s race.

Featured image credit: The Gear Shop Inc.