Justin Jumet will make his Dakar Rally debut in 2027, but only if he can finish the Rallye du Maroc in September–October.

“I just received the confirmation from ASO that my application to race the 49th Dakar Rally was accepted on condition,” Jumet explained on Thursday. “What that means is I have to race and finish the W2RC Maroc du Rallye to continue and go on the start of Dakar.

“All the planning, training, conversions, and dedication put towards this means everything. But none of this would be remotely possible without all the work and effort from you guys the sponsors, friends, community that believed in Kansas to Dakar.”

Jumet and Matthew Ransom, who run Off Piste Adventure together, are pursuing the 2027 Dakar as part of a campaign called “Kansas to Dakar”. Ransom also has a provisional acceptance from the ASO and must complete the Rallye du Maroc to be assured a spot on the Dakar grid.

The friends were supposed to make their Dakar qualifying effort at the Desafío Ruta 40 in May, but postponed it to Morocco because of delays in shipping their bikes to their dealer there. Since the RdM is after the July registration deadline, it isn’t uncommon for the ASO to initially reject applicants or hold their acceptances until then. The same also applies to the W2RC season finale at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in November.

Jumet mainly races in hare scrambles alongside his round of rallies. In June, he competed in the inaugural Bluegrass Rallye Raid, a four-day navigation rally held in Booneville, Kentucky. He’s also participated in the Sonora Rally’s desert training schools.

In 2025, Jumet finished 11th in National Moto at the Sonora Rally.

Featured image credit: Justin Jumet