Romain Dumontier has long been among the top Rally2 riders, winning his class at the Dakar Rally twice and the 2023 World Rally-Raid Championship. However, he will not be at the 2026 Dakar after failing to secure a factory ride or the necessary funding as a privateer.

“My track record hasn’t attracted attention, and no opportunities have come up,” said Dumontier on Monday. “Although I can consider myself the number 2 French rider in the discipline, that’s not enough.

“No contact with factory teams, and none with support teams where you have to show up with a check as an entry fee. I didn’t have time to regroup and properly prepare for the 2026 race.”

After starring on a Husqvarna, Dumontier joined HRC in 2024 and won the Desafío Ruta 40 on debut. He narrowly missed out on repeating as W2RC Rally2 champion, but the run with Honda gave him good momentum going into 2025.

However, despite finishing third in class at Dakar, he was released by HRC soon after. Honda’s Brazilian subsidiary signed him to do some races on their home soil, but the support was limited only to rallies in Brazil and didn’t include Dakar.

Consequently, Dumontier did not appear at any other W2RC races in 2025.

While certainly disappointing to miss the 2026 Dakar, he reassured that it’s only a “temporary setback” and is already focused on 2027.

Featured image credit: Julien Delfosse / DPPI / ASO