The Dakar Rally is known as a race where experience, perseverance, and adventure come together. In the 2026 edition, that contrast is more striking than ever. This year’s start list features both the youngest and oldest competitors in the rally’s long history. With a remarkable age gap of fifty-nine years between them, their passion for Dakar is identical.
Marnix Leeuw (20)
The youngest competitor this year is Marnix Leeuw from the Netherlands. Born on July 4, 2005, he is just twenty years old, but far from a rookie in rally racing. Leeuw literally grew up among rally cars and drove his first meters behind the wheel at the age of six. He made his Dakar debut in 2025 as a navigator, a year of learning that prepared him for a new role. In 2026, he lines up as a driver for the first time, and does so in the truck category. With experience gained in European baja events, he now takes the next step in his development, on a stage where there is little room for mistakes.
Jean-Pierre Strugo (79)
At the other end of the spectrum is Jean-Pierre Strugo, a living legend of the Dakar Rally. Born on May 8, 1946, the Frenchman will start his thirty-second Dakar in 2026. His Dakar journey began in 1985, and his name is deeply woven into the rally’s history. The highlight of his career remains seventh place in the overall classification of 1997, a year in which he also claimed a stage victory.
Strugo is known not just for his impressive track record, but also for his character. He is the last active Dakar competitor who once raced wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers, long before modern race suits, helmets, and high-tech protection became the standard. He embodies the spirit of the original adventure that made Dakar famous.
Unique in Dakar
The fifty-nine-year age gap between Leeuw and Strugo illustrates what makes Dakar truly unique. Young talent and pure experience stand side by side at the start line. For one, it marks the beginning of a long career. For the other, it is the continuation of a lifelong passion. Dakar 2026 proves once again that this rally knows no boundaries — not in terrain, and certainly not in age.
