While not quite ready for the Dakar Rally, Noa Sainct will follow in his late father’s footsteps in January when he enters the Africa Eco Race for the first time. It is one of three major rallies he has on his 2026 checklist, as he also plans to return to the Carta Rallye in April and the Rally du Maroc in September. He will do the latter in Rally2.

His father Richard won the Paris–Dakar Rally three times in 1999, 2000, and 2003. While the Dakar Rally no longer follows that route, the Africa Eco Race was formed to do so, meaning the younger Sainct will have a chance to finish on Lac Rose in Senegal like Dad did.

Usually an enduro rider, Sainct has been increasing his rally schedule in recent years. 2025 was his first year of trying out desert rallies, debuting at the Carta Rallye with a 20th-place run. In October, he did the Baja Morocco–Rallye du Maroc double: he scored his first desert stage win at the former en route to a third, then held off eventual World Rally-Raid Champion Thomas Zoldos for the Rally3 victory at the latter.

He will continue to be a part of Nomade Racing for the Carta Rallye and Rallye du Maroc in 2026. For the Africa Eco Race, Sainct will team up with Marc Joineau’s crew.

Joineau was a Paris–Dakar bike regular like the older Sainct, albeit predating him by a decade as he mainly raced in the 1980s. He will also compete in the AER, his second start in the event, on his own bike while his team plans to operate out of a bus.

“This is a beautiful story unfolding,” Joineau remarked. “It’s on his motorcycle that he feels closest to his dad, and Noa Saint will be with us in our Team DAK’CAR. We are happy to support him in his race.

“In my humble opinion, no one expects him to do well, but he can pull off a great surprise. In any case, I’ll be following in his tracks (far behind).”

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