“Every Dakar is a great experience in its own way”
Crew facts
M.H.
- Michael Helminger was three years old when another German Michael, Schumacher, won the first of his seven Formula 1 World Championship titles. Motorsport has always interested him, and he became more and more fascinated by the Dakar through his good friend Stefan Henken.
- An electrical technician, Michael finally had his baptism of fire on the Dakar by accompanying Stefan in 2022, as part of South Racing’s fast assistance team. And what a first time it was: they got stuck in a basin with several other trucks on Stage 9, in one of the most memorable episodes of the rally. The crew still made it through to the finish, and South Racing gave Stefan and Michael the nod again for Dakar 2023, this time with Philipp Rettig as mechanic.
- The 34-year-old German met Mathias Behringer during Dakar 2021 while he was not racing. Five years later, they are lining up together for the first time, still with the same mission: providing assistance to clients in need.
P.R.
- Philipp Rettig is one of the prominent German figures in the bivouac. An experienced professional mechanic, he will make his fifteenth appearance in the Dakar bivouac in 2026. It will be his eighth time in a race truck, guided, as always, by the mission of supporting the clients he works for.
- Many great teams have trusted Philipp’s skills, such as X-raid, South Racing, and Boucou, alongside drivers like Thomas Wallenwein, Udo Kuhn, Tomas Tomecek, Dave Ingels, Stefan Henken or Egbert Wingens. He has known Mathias Behringer for years, although this will be the first time they share a cabin in the race.
Ambition
M.H.
“I had the opportunity to take part in such a major motorsport that Dakar is thanks to my friend Stefan Henken. This will be my fourth time on the race. Each Dakar has been a great experience in its own way. I met Mathias Behringer at the Dakar 2021, and we got along well right away. It quickly became clear that we wanted to race together someday, and that’s finally it. My goal would be, of course, to earn a finisher’s medal. I am really looking forward to Dakar 2026!”
“I had the opportunity to take part in such a major motorsport that Dakar is thanks to my friend Stefan Henken. This will be my fourth time on the race. Each Dakar has been a great experience in its own way. I met Mathias Behringer at the Dakar 2021, and we got along well right away. It quickly became clear that we wanted to race together someday, and that’s finally it. My goal would be, of course, to earn a finisher’s medal. I am really looking forward to Dakar 2026!”
P.R.: “In total I did fourteenth Dakar but only seven in the race. I was asked by my friend and driver Matthias Behringer to join his team, and it will be my eighth time now. Our goal is to finish all stages and, for sure, to help our clients in the best possible way.”
