Tomáš Tomeček is pulling double duty in January. He will spend the first half of the month in Saudi Arabia helping South Racing at the Dakar Rally, then travel to Europe a week later to compete in the Africa Eco Race.

Since the 2021 Dakar, Tomeček has driven a fast assistance truck to help competitors in trouble, primarily the Can-Am Mavericks from South Racing. He’s appeared at Dakar since 1995, but was gone for much of the 2010s as he instead did the Africa Eco Race that followed the original Dakar route. At the AER, he has won five times including the 2022 and 2024 editions with no navigator or mechanic.

In 2025, when both races were held at the same time, Tomeček opted to go to Dakar. Being a service truck, he was not classified as a finisher.

With the AER being pushed back, the opportunity arose for him to appear at both events. The Dakar finishes on January 17 while the AER commences on January 24. Tomeček will drive a Tatra 815 for South at Dakar, then join his Tom Racing team for the AER in another 815. His son Metoděj Tomeček will serve as his Dakar navigator.

Tom Racing is also fielding two 815 6×6 trucks for Petr Foltýn and Leopold Paďour. Both drove for Tom at the 2025 AER while Tomeček was in Saudi Arabia. While Foltýn and Paďour will continue to be assistance trucks, Tomeček will compete in the vintage class with an 815 4×4; this truck was recently used by Milan Křístek to help Mission 1000 at Dakar.

“[South Racing was] happy with us, so we agreed to continue the partnership,” Tomeček told Motorsport Revue. “I am also pleased that my son Metoděj will be sitting next to me for the first time. After the Dakar in Arabia, Metoděj will return to school, I will join the boys in Prague who will be on their way to the port of Marseilles with their trucks, where we are due to arrive on January 20.”

Fellow Czech driver Tomáš Ouředníček also wanted to run both races but dropped his plans because he was too busy working on installing the audio system at the recently opened Horácká Multifunctional Arena. Forced to choose between the two races, he elected to return to the AER.

Featured image credit: Frédéric Le Floch / DPPI / ASO