Mark Hatfield has punched his ticket to the 2027 Dakar Rally by way of his run at the Desafío Ruta 40 in May.

Hailing from the UK, Hatfield and his Fantic XEF 450 have competed in rallies around Africa and Europe such as the Lamas Rally in Italy and The Real Way to Dakar. In 2025, he ran the Morocco Desert Challenge and impressed by placing seventh overall, narrowly avoiding another rider crashing in front of him on the penultimate day.

To qualify for Dakar, he went to Argentina for the Ruta 40. Hatfield was hampered by a mechanical breakdown 150 kilometers into Stage 4, but ultimately reached the finish 33rd in Rally2. He was also third among Malle Moto riders.

“35 years of bikes, dreaming, training, riding, racing, crashing, fixing… Dreams become plans,” wrote Hatfield on Wednesday. “Officially entered for Dakar 2027. Grateful for the opportunity—now the real works begins.”

Featured image credit: Helena Clancy / Edophoto / DPPI / ASO