JAKARTA - Indonesian racer Julian Johan has arrived in Saudi Arabia to take part in the 2026 Dakar Rally, which will be held on January 3-17, marking the return of Indonesian representatives to the world's most extreme rally after an absence of 14 years.
Julian Johan, who is familiarly known as Jeje, will compete as a racer with French co-driver Mathieu Monplaisi. He became the successor of Indonesian racers in Dakar after Kasih Anggoro last appeared in the 2011 edition. Previously, Indonesia was also represented by Tinton Soeprapto at Dakar 1988.
In a written statement, Friday, Jejemengatakankeikutsertaan di Rally Dakar bukan hanya pencapaian personal, tetapi juga terinspirasi oleh para seniornya yang lebih dulu merasakan kerasnya kompetisi tersebut.
"They are people who make me have more motivation to continue their struggle in the Dakar Rally. But one interesting thing is, Dakar not only requires a lot of money, but also requires great courage and courage," said Jeje.
He assessed that courage was an important factor considering the character of the Dakar Rally, which requires physical, mental, and vehicle endurance for a long time with extreme terrain.
"With a very long and heavy field, financial alone is not enough. We must dare to take risks even though we do not know the end result," he said.
The 2026 Dakar Rally is Jeje's debut in the event. Although he admitted that he had been following the development of Dakar for a long time, he realized that the challenges faced this time were much different because he had to jump in as a participant.
"Everything feels new, from the car, the weather, to driving techniques in the sand. The main focus of my preparation is to understand driving techniques in the sand," he said.
Jeje will drive a Toyota Land Cruiser 100, a vehicle that was once used by the Japanese Toyota team and won the Dakar Rally title in the early 2000s. The car was then owned by Compagnie Saharienne before finally being used by Jeje at Dakar 2026.
According to him, the experience of driving the Land Cruiser made the adaptation process not too difficult. In addition, the training session in Morocco was considered very helpful because the terrain and climate conditions were relatively similar to Saudi Arabia.
"Training in North Africa gives a big picture of the character of the Dakar terrain and is very helpful as a supply during the race," said Jeje.
For the target, Jeje chose a realistic approach. He did not set a high result on his debut, but rather focused on completing the race with the team and vehicle conditions that remained in good condition.
"My goal is to be able to finish every day with a vehicle that is intact, with minimal damage, and the entire team in good condition," he said.
Jeje also prepared additional equipment in the form of survival equipment, medicines, to camping equipment, and equipped himself with rescue and vehicle recovery knowledge that he obtained from experience participating in the 2023 and 2024 Asia Cross Country Rally (AXCR).
The livery of the car he used was dominated by red and white as a symbol of Indonesia.
"The red and white colors represent Indonesia, and a little black color is related to the sponsors that exist. It is similar to the livery at the first AXCR 2023, indeed I deliberately want to continue the red and white breath, or the Indonesian breath in this livery, as well as a statement of indo again at the Dakar Rally event. "said Jeje.
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