Gerard Farrés has partnered with Great Wall Motor to make his Taklimakan Rally debut in May. It’ll be his first time racing in China.

“I want to express my appreciation for the great work GWM is doing in the world of motorsport. It’s a brand that demonstrates ambition, innovation, and a strong competitive spirit,” said Farrés on Sunday.

“It will be a great challenge for the whole team and I’m very motivated.”

Since making the switch from bikes in 2019, Farrés usually drives a Can-Am Maverick X3 in the SSV class and finished runner-up in T4 at the 2022 Dakar Rally. He withdrew from this year’s race after four stages because of health concerns.

GWM, who previously raced the Dakar Rally in the early 2010s, revived its rally division in 2025. 11 drivers competed in that year’s Taklimakan with either the manufacturer’s Haval, Tank, or Shanhai Cannon, all in the T2 class. Liang Zhihui won in a Tank 300 ahead of Li Jianbin and Zhang Ha’s Cannons.

While Great Wall hasn’t revealed if the new program would eventually compete abroad in races like Dakar, adding someone like Farrés—who has raced Dakar since 2006—would certainly be a step in that direction.

Featured image credit: Charly López / ASO