On January 3, the Saudi Arabian city of Yanbu will be the starting point for the legendary Dakar, one of the most exciting and demanding automotive competitions on the calendar. Until the 17th of the same month, drivers will face extreme driving conditions in a competition that goes far beyond a race. That’s because Dakar is a giant outdoor laboratory where sand, heat and terrain uncertainty push drivers and cars to their limits.

At the Dakar, innovation advances as fast as the vehicles themselves. With the goal of reducing net CO2 emissions to zero by 2030, the competition is establishing itself as a showcase for the coming mobility, a testbed where fuels and lubricants will be exposed to the most extreme conditions.

In this scenario, Repsol will rejoin the Dakar with a project that combines sporting epics with new technology. This year, the company will supply teams with around 30,000 liters of petrol made from 70% raw materials from renewable sources, designed to maintain engine performance and protection under extreme temperatures, abrasive dust and endless journeys that push vehicles to their limits.

Behind this is years of work at the company’s research and development center, the Repsol Technology Lab, where renewable fuels are already designed and tested to compete in some of the harshest conditions on the planet. In the engine laboratory, the formulations are adjusted and every detail is refined to obtain the best version of these fuels.

This knowledge allows Repsol to participate in the world’s most famous rally every year, and this year it is supplying it with gasoline made from 70% renewable raw materials. In this way, the technological ecosystem underlying the development of mobility solutions for everyday life is strengthened.

Accelerating partnership: Repsol and Toyota, Dune technology

To ensure these vehicles reach their full potential, Repsol has strengthened its collaboration with Toyota to make the Dakar a project of sport and technology. The partnership is so close that Toyota donated one of the engines from the DKR GR Hilux model to Repsol Technology Lab. So scientists put the same demands on engines that they have to endure in racing.

Two teams will carry the products developed by the company. For the Repsol Toyota Rally Team, Isidor Estave is determined to continue making history. On the other hand, a strong Toyota Gazoo Racing team has favorites such as Seth Quintero, Henk Lategan, and Toby Price.

Esteve’s ability to improve, adapt and compete has made him a standard in the sport. For Dakar 2026, Catalan drivers will use renewable lubricants and gasoline with 70% renewable raw materials in their vehicles. And after the legendary rally, that season also includes the Portuguese Rally Raid and the Moroccan Rally. Their experience is essential to validating and improving the innovative products the company offers from competition vehicles to everyday vehicles.

And if there is any team that will arrive at the 2026 Dakar with a favorite label even before the start, it is Toyota Gazoo Racing. Formed by Seth Quintero, Henk Lategan and Toby Price, the trio was recently named the 2025 Raid World Constructors Champion and represents the best drivers of their generation, with their intelligence, reading the terrain and uncanny ability to push their mechanics to the limit. All of these compete with Repsol’s renewable gasoline. Repsol is a fuel designed, tested and conditioned to help your engine deliver consistent power even under the most adverse conditions.

From Dakar dust to tomorrow’s energy

For more than half a century, Repsol’s history with some of auto racing’s most glorious chapters fits right in with the Dakar. From Angel Nieto’s victories in the 70s to Marc Márquez’s latest exploits, to the golden age of Carlos Sainz and Pedro de la Rosa’s F1 debut, competition has always been familiar territory, a place to learn, modify and progress.

This DNA explains why Repsol is at the forefront of developing renewable fuels for transportation. Currently, the company already sells two renewable fuels along with the remaining conventional fuels in the Iberian Peninsula. 100% renewable energy-based Nexa diesel (available at more than 1,400 service stations) and 100% renewable energy-based Nexa 95 gasoline (available at more than 20 stations).

Dakar 2026 will be a new chapter in that story. It’s a battle against the sand, the weather and the kilometers of each stage, but it’s also proof that innovation and emotion don’t go hand in hand. And we believe that partnerships such as Repsol and Toyota can quicken the pulse of fans while paving the way to lower-carbon mobility.