The Dakar Classic has been dominated by the Toyota Land Cruiser, which probably isn’t a surprise considering how good it is in the Saudi desert even outside of racing. Henry Favre, on the other hand, will be tackling the Classic with what he equated to a minivan used by a church.

For their second Dakar Classic in 2026, Favre and his friend-slash-navigator Alessandro Iacovelli will pilot a Mitsubishi Delica. Also called the L300, the line has really only seen Dakar Rally action as a support vehicle.

Favre acquired the van in the spring before he and Iacovelli began an extensive building process to convert it for racing. This meant ripping out the seats and installing a roll cage, replacing components left and right with those better fit for racing conditions, and so on. A 1.2-liter Fiat FIRE engine was added as well.

The team operates on a barely existent budget, so they had to open a GoFundMe to raise money and afford everything. A supporter in Germany donated additional parts to Italy as well.

It’s an insane idea, so much so that Favre announced the project on April 1 so everyone thought it was an April Fools prank. By October, with the race just two months away, things seem to be trending in the right direction. Well, mostly.

“This year too, we didn’t sign up to race with Dacia or Ford: we’re aiming for the humility of a former oratory van,” Favre quipped. The van even features an “ORATORIO” sticker parodying the Mitsubishi Ralliart logo. “Our dream starts here: loose wires, a shock absorber lost in the first two kilometers, and already a few penalty boxes loaded up just in case.

“Last year, we only did a reconnaissance run. This year, we’re racing. Thanks to everyone who believes in us, to our sponsors, and to the lady who came to bring us back the shock absorber we lost in front of the pharmacy.

“We’ll tell you about every single bolt and grain of sand that blows over this van. For now, however, we’re going back to solder the wires that already almost caught fire.”

Favre and Iacovelli finished at the bottom of the order at the 2025 Classic, their Mitsubishi Pajero plagued by penalties and mechanical issues.

The GoFundMe to support these chuckleheads and their self-proclaimed “very bad ideas” can be found here.

Featured image credit: Henry Favre