While the ASO is pressing on with the 2027 Dakar Rally and Classic in Saudi Arabia, K Motorsport won’t take any chances. The team announced Tuesday that it will skip the Dakar Classic in January and instead switch to the Africa Eco Race Historic.

K Motorsport is owned by Mathieu Kurzen, who has run the Dakar Classic every year since 2023. After running the 2023 and 2024 races in a Mitsubishi Pajero, he switched to a Nissan for 2025. Built by Team Nissan Dessoude, the car is a Terrano with an X-Trail nose. He finished 31st for cars and 33rd overall at the 2026 Dakar Classic.

The 2026 Classic was supposed to be a foundation for the 2027 program, though the situation in the region has obviously changed that. American leader Donald Trump said Wednesday that the war “is going to end very soon, one way or another”, though details remain vague. Ronald van Loon and William de Groot have already opted out of Dakar due to the war, while Red Bull KTM has been pushing for an update before shipping equipment out.

“Due to the geopolitical situation in the Middle East and the resulting security risks and uncertainties, Team K Motorsport has decided to withdraw from the next Dakar Rally,” begins the announcement. “But the adventure continues, and we will be taking part in the Africa Eco Race next January.

“A superb event retracing the steps of the Dakar Rally of yesteryear—starting in Tangier, Morocco, and finishing at Lac Rose in Dakar. A new challenge awaits us, and we can’t wait to take it on!”

Kurzen’s father Michel raced the 1986 and 1988 Paris–Dakar Rallies as a navigator, respectively calling the shots for François Magnenat and Jean-Daniel Coucet. The latter came in the Lamborghini LM002. Mathieu followed in his dad’s footsteps at the turn of the millennium, navigator in raids like the Rallye de Tunisie, UAE Desert Challenge, and Master Rallye in a Pajero before driving a Navara.

Outside of racing, Kurzen works as a real estate developer.

Featured image credit: Aurélien Vialatte / ASO