JAKARTA - The first Special Stage (SS) of the 2026 Dakar Rally in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, January 4, was a real test for Indonesian racer Julian Johan. Together with his French co-driver, Mathieu Monplaisi, Jeje completed the 219-kilometer stage with impressive results.
The two ended in sixth place in Class H.2 and 11th overall in the Dakar Classic Group. This long stage felt in contrast to the 24-kilometer Prologue the day before, and the more varied terrain, long duration, and the real rhythm of the Dakar made the challenge drastically increase.
"Stage one is amazing. From nature, from the challenge of the track, and from the distance. You can say that this stage one or the second day of the Dakar rally, this is just the main menu of the Dakar. In the first SS I have managed to pass the route to 219 kilometers. So today is really new, it feels like a heavy challenge of a Dakar," said the racer who is familiarly called Jeje, quoted from the official statement, Monday, January 5.
Another highlight comes from the vehicle he drives, the Toyota Land Cruiser 100. A legendary SUV known for its toughness and long-distance rally character.
The car relies on the Land Cruiser's signature strong body-on-frame construction, paired with a famously wayward six-cylinder 4.5-liter engine and rich low-end torque, an essential asset for devouring hundreds of kilometers in the desert.
The full-time four-wheel drive system with low range ensures traction is maintained in deep sand and rocky paths. Meanwhile, the heavy duty suspension and cooling system that is strengthened on the Dakar Classic specification make the car able to survive for long periods without compromise.
After struggling throughout the first SS, Jeje's goal to finish with the car in good condition was finally achieved. In fact, technically the Land Cruiser 100 did not experience any significant obstacles during the stage.
However, before the first SS start, he had a small incident. On the way to the start location, the right front tire was torn after hitting a sharp rock. Jeje admitted that the incident was closely related to his adaptation to the left steering position.
"Because I'm the one who is not good at it or used to driving the left steering wheel, it's too right and hit the rock. But thank God, it didn't take long, so we started ss still safe," he explained.
This car does have a large body dimension and a long engine hood that requires high precision in reading the distance of the vehicle side. Even a small mistake can lead to a collision, so adapting is an important homework for Jeje in the early days of the Dakar.
Even though the first SS result was very positive, the older brother of Jordan racer Johan chose to remain restrained. He emphasized that he did not want to be hasty and preferred to focus on consistency, and that would be the strategy in the second SS from Yanbu to Alula with a distance of 316 kilometers.
"For the first time there is actually a competition here, if you look at SS one is very possible, but again, I don't want to be hasty. I will try to focus on myself, how every day we can finish safely and smoothly," he said.
"So from the rhythm to bring the car is not really pushed, even much more relaxed than when I was rallying raids, for example, in IRRA or AXCR even. Here you still have to take care of the car even further, even more optimally because the distance is longer and the terrain is heavier and the duration is longer," continued Jeje.
The cooperation with Mathieu Monplaisi has been solid so far, but Jeje emphasized that the Dakar struggle is still very long. With a total of 12 days remaining until the last stage on January 17, 2026, his main focus remains one.
"But again, for me there is no need to be able to push further, because the main thing is to be able to reach the finish, to complete all the SS until January 17, so again the good result is number two, the important thing is the result finish first the other number," concluded Jeje.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
