Dušan Drdaj is calling it a career. Well, sort of.

Wanting to shift his focus full time to rally raids, he has decided to wrap up his time in motocross. He won’t be stepping away from that discipline permanently, and in fact has set up a motocross school to educate new riders. From this point on, however, he wants to be considered a rally rider.

“After 25 motocross seasons, I have decided to end my racing career,” wrote Drdaj. “I have dedicated my entire life to motocross. I have met many people, friends, and best friends here and have had countless unforgettable experiences.

“Unfortunately, over time, more factors have come to lead me to this decision. I would like to thank all the people who have been part of this journey…. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

“Now, I plan to fully devote myself and focus on Dakar and long-distance rally raids together with the Cajdašrot Team.

“I am not leaving motocross completely. I’ll continue to be around it, just a little differently than before. I have decided to establish a motocross school where I would like to pass on my rich experience.

“Thank you very much to everyone once again.”

Drdaj had been racing motocross since he was four years old, eventually becoming one of the premier riders in the Czech national championship. He won the series’ MX1 title in 2022, one of seven championships.

Still, his dream had long been to race the Dakar after watching it growing up. He made his Dakar debut in 2024, but retired after the fuel tank ruptured in the Chrono Stage.

He joined Cajdašrot Team in 2025, finishing eighth in Rally2 at that year’s Dakar.

For 2026, Drdaj expanded his itinerary to include more W2RC races. The year began on a frustrating note at Dakar when he crashed in Stage 3 and broke the toes on his right foot, limiting him to a 29th in class. In his maiden BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, he was second in the Prologue before finishing 12th for Rally2. The latter was his first non-Dakar W2RC race since the 2023 Rallye du Maroc.

Cajdašrot is a Czech rally team that also fields a bike for Jaromír Romančík.

Featured image credit: Matteo Gebbia / Edophoto / DPPI / ASO