Matthew Ransom and Justin Jumet hoped to make their Dakar Rally debuts together in 2027. Unfortunately, only one of them will do so come January.

Ransom announced Tuesday that he has received his acceptance letter from the ASO. On the other hand, Jumet was not selected. While only Ransom will take the start in January, he plans to return in 2028 with Jumet as his teammate.

“When we started this journey, we started it together,” said Ransom. “We trained together, pushed each other, traveled across the world, and fought our way through Rallye du Maroc to earn our qualifications. We had every intention of standing on that Dakar starting line together.

“Sometimes the road doesn’t go exactly as planned, but Justin’s road to Dakar is far from over. I’ll be continuing solo for Dakar 2027, but the Kansas to Dakar mission isn’t finished. Justin and I will continue working together, training, and preparing to get him to the starting line of Dakar 2028, and I can’t think of a better year for him to make that dream a reality.”

Both received provisional acceptances in July, contingent on how they fared at the Rallye du Maroc. Ransom finished 52nd in Rally2 in what he felt was a fairly uneventful rally for him.

Jumet, on the other hand, crashed 12 kilometers before the end of Stage 1 and hyperextended the fingers he uses for the clutch. A clean Stage 2 was followed by a harder wreck in the dunes that broke his S4 vertebra, prompting him to skip the final series of dunes before SS3 was neutralized. He was still able to make it home, 76th in Rally2.

Their campaign, titled “Kansas to Dakar”, entailed doing rallies like Sonora and Morocco to bolster their chances of acceptance.

“For now, my focus is on getting to the starting line in January, riding smart, and making it all the way to the finish,” Ransom continued. “There’s still a mountain of work ahead, and none of this would be possible without the incredible sponsors, friends, family, and supporters who have believed in us.

“This journey has always been about more than just racing motorcycles. It’s about chasing something that seems impossible, refusing to quit when things get difficult, and hopefully inspiring a few others to chase their own dreams along the way.

“2027 is my year to take on Dakar. 2028, we’re coming back for Justin.”

Featured image credit: via Matthew Ransom