Santana Returns to Dakar with Calleja at the Wheel and a Very Special Pick-Up T1+

In the 2026 Dakar, one of the most comprehensive and demanding routes of its Saudi stage is presented, with a total mileage of 8,000 kilometres - 4,900 km of which will be timed - approaching historical maximums. It will include a combination of dunes, sand, fast tracks, and rocky areas, demanding maximum physical and mechanical endurance.

The revived Spanish brand Santana Motor will participate in this competition. Coinciding with its return to the automotive market, the brand has announced the creation of the Santana Racing Team, its official competition team to face this challenge.

Adventurer Jesús Calleja and Santana Motors CEO Edu Blanco will start the 2026 Dakar with the Santana Pick-Up T1+, with number 244. Both reunite as the duo that competed in the 2019 and 2022 Dakar editions, where they forged a strong professional and friendly relationship; an experience and affinity that will be key to facing the numerous challenges awaiting them during the race days in the Saudi Arabian desert.

The Santana Pick-Up T1+ is a 4x4 vehicle specifically developed by manufacturer Century to tackle the most demanding off-road terrains, fully aligned with the DNA of Santana Motors and its new product range. It will compete in the rally's main category, the T1+/Ultimate, facing the world's most advanced prototypes, a scenario where the Century CR7 has already demonstrated competitiveness and outstanding results.

The vehicle incorporates a high-strength tubular chassis and a carbon fibre body, designed to meet the structural demands of the T1+ category. It weighs 2,010 kg, with a balanced 50/50 distribution, and dimensions of 4,650 mm in length, 2,200 mm in width, 1,850 mm in height, and a wheelbase of 2,980 mm.

It is equipped with a 2.9-litre V6 biturbo engine, developing 430 HP at 5,000 rpm and 660 Nm at 3,800 rpm. It features a SADEV SC924 6-speed sequential gearbox, AP Racing triple-disc clutch, and flat-shift system, along with Fortin differentials: sprag and torsen on the front axle and torsen on the rear. Aesthetically, the Santana Racing Team has endowed the Pick-Up T1+ with a design inspired by the brand's new production model range, thus reinforcing the visual connection between the competition vehicle and the products that will reach the market.

Additionally, Santana Motors will deploy a Santana 400 PHEV and a Santana 400D production model to the Dakar, acting as support vehicles during the event. These models will follow a parallel route to the competition and allow the team to move between stages to directly monitor the performance of Calleja and Blanco, while the brand evaluates its own vehicles in a real and highly demanding environment.

Jesús Calleja, originally from León and a renowned adventurer, mountaineer, presenter, and driver, has always maintained a close relationship with the motor world. He debuted in the Dakar Rally in 2011 and, despite not reaching the finish line in the first edition, he fell in love with the event. Subsequently, he has returned four more times, managing to finish the rally in 2020, and has gained experience in off-road competitions such as the Baja Aragón, the Pharaohs Rally, and the Morocco Rally.

His career as an explorer has led him to conquer the Seven Summits and undertake expeditions to the most extreme environments on the planet, culminating in February 2025 with one of the most important milestones of his life: his journey to space aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket, making him the first Spanish space tourist. His nonconformist spirit and constant search for new limits unite in this new adventure with the Santana Racing Team in the 2026 Dakar.

On the other hand, Blanco will return to occupy the right seat of Calleja, his usual co-driver in this category. With an extensive career as both a driver and co-driver, he began his career in 1992 in various off-road disciplines before making the international leap to the World Cross Country Rally as a professional co-driver in 2001, competing in the Nissan Challenge, where he achieved podiums and notable results.

A few years later, in 2007, he founded JTN Racing, a structure specialised in rally-raid whose record includes several world titles in the T2 category and two Dakar victories in production vehicles. Through this team, he led the Acciona 100% Ecopowered project, the first electric prototype to complete the rally. Since his first participation in the Dakar in 2000, Blanco has taken part in 17 editions of the rally, alternating roles as co-driver and team manager.

Jesús Calleja, driver of the Santana Racing Team, has stated, "I am very happy to join the Santana team to participate in the 2026 Dakar. It is an adventure that excites me because it allows me to compete against the best while continuing to learn, and at the same time discover incredible places on our planet that, if not for this race, we would never know. The Dakar demands the best from all of us who are part of the project: driver, co-driver, mechanics... and even the smallest technical component must perform at its best to reach the finish line. We are ready: Santana returns in style."

Edu Blanco, co-driver of the Santana Racing Team and CEO of Santana Motors, has declared that "the dream of bringing Santana back to life would not be complete without taking the brand to the world's most demanding stage, the Dakar. Santana is reborn as a manufacturer of reliable and robust vehicles, designed for the field and the road, and it does so with its own competition team. It is a pride to start this new stage alongside Jesús Calleja, and I am looking forward to heading to Saudi Arabia to place Santana among the greats again, on a stage that captures international attention during the first two weeks of January each year."

Although this will be the first time Santana officially participates in the Dakar Rally, the Linares company's vehicles have already raced in this event. An example is the 1998 edition (Paris-Granada-Dakar), in which two Suzuki Vitaras prepared by Santana's Prototype Department at the Linares factory were entered.

In this adventure, the Santana Racing Team will have the support of the Bion3 multivitamin supplement, designed to strengthen defences, reduce fatigue, and contribute to energy metabolism, providing an additional boost to the team during the race. Additionally, Turismo Castilla y León will travel aboard the Santana Pick-Up T1+, bringing the spirit of Jesús's homeland to new horizons. Zanskar Producciones, producer of successful programmes such as Volando Voy, Planeta Calleja, Scott y Milá, or Maraton Man, will also join the team in this new expedition.

The start and finish of the Dakar will once again be located in Yanbu, on the shores of the Red Sea, creating a large loop that maintains a careful balance between toughness and strategic management. Over the two weeks, teams will face stages composed of long sections of pure sand and complex navigation that can redefine the standings at any moment.

The first half of the race will include a renewed variant of the marathon stages (stages 4 and 5), with a night in a camp-refuge and assistance limited only among competitors, which will test the management, mechanics, and strength of each team. Before the rest day in Riyadh (10 January), the longest day of the rally will also arrive: 925 km in total, with 336 km of special entirely on dunes.

After a brief respite in the Saudi capital, the return route will maintain the pressure, with a return to Wadi ad-Dawasir and a second marathon stage three days before the end with differentiated routes for cars and bikes. After it, more than 1,700 km will still remain, including 762 km of special, where it is warned that the complexity of navigation — especially between Bisha and Al Henakiyah in stage 11 — can alter the results when the finish line on 17 January is already on the horizon.