After racing the largest rally raid in his home country, Wang Guorui will run the Dakar Rally for the first time in January. He’ll be behind the wheel of the WGR-T1+, a new car developed by Longmai Motorsport in partnership with Hanwei Motorsport.

Wang is a real estate CEO who made his debut in the Taklimakan Rally in 2024, finishing 27th overall in one of Hanwei Motorsport’s SMG buggies. He switched to a Toyota Hilux for the 2025 edition, placing 28th in T1.

For Dakar, he decided to reconnect with Han Wei when the latter’s team achieved self-sufficiency and could build their own T1 cars without overseas involvement.

The WGR-T1+ uses a 6.2-liter Chevrolet LS3 engine, the same that appeared in Han’s HWM T1+ that he raced in the 2025 Dakar. For 2026, Han has switched to a BMW S58 motor while HWM teammate Po Tian uses a Nissan VR38’s.

As part of their alliance, Longmai’s tent at the Dakar bivouac is situated with HWM’s. The WGR-T1+ arrived in Saudi Arabia without its shock absorbers to save space on the haulers, and they were applied upon reaching its tent. The team began private testing on Wednesday,

“My biggest wish is to successfully complete the race in my first appearance,” Guorui said. “I don’t have high expectations, but I feel ready. This is my first time working with (navigator) Yu Tian.

“We will be driving the Longmai Motorsport WGR-T1+, and Dakar 2026 will also serve to test its performance. A successful Dakar would mean we reached the finish line, and the car was stable.”

Featured image credit: 李庆达