"Rally-raid is an incredibly uplifting sport"
En bref
W.H.
- Wei Han is the most successful Chinese driver in Dakar history. In seven participations in the cars, he has claimed two Top 10 finishes, including a national record of eighth overall in 2023. That year, he topped the two-wheel-drive T1.2 class in his SMG buggy.
- The 53-year-old from Zhejiang has long been passionate about motorsport and created his own team in 2008. He went on to become one of the most decorated performers on the national rally scene, winning the famous Taklimakan Rally four times (2015, 2016, 2018, 2024).
- After doing his first five editions of the Dakar in an SMG buggy - having gone into business with the French manufacturer in 2016 - Wei switched to a Red-Lined T1+ at Dakar 2024. However, he was forced to withdraw for the first time when co-driver Li Ma got injured.
- HanWei Motorsport then built their own car for Dakar 2025, but an issue with the fuel tank foam led to a fire and another retirement.
- At Dakar 2026, Wei and Li will be driving an upgraded version of the HWM T1+ with a BMW S58 engine. After extensive testing they are confident they can once again target the Top 10.
L.M.
- Li Ma has always been fond of motorsport and started out as a mechanic. It was through his work repairing vehicles that he discovered professional racing and "fell in love" with rally-raid.
- The 42-year-old demonstrated his skills as a co-driver by guiding Ping Sun to 4th place at the Silk Way Rally 2019. He teamed up with Wei for the first time at Dakar 2022, although they finished down in 37th after inadvertently infringing FIA regulations and incurring some hefty penalties.
- He has described Dakar 2023 as "a perfect race" and says he has "a very harmonious relationship" with Wei in the car. This will be their fifth Dakar together.
Ambition
W.H.: "2025 marked the first Dakar trip for the HWM T1+. Time constraints before the rally resulted in insufficient test time and failure to detect a quality issue with the fuel tank foam. We implemented some countermeasures, and the fuel system ran normally throughout the 450-kilometre stage. However, we overlooked a 170-kilometre road section the following day, which led to a blockage in the last 40 kilometres. The stage was going very well that day, so perhaps due to a momentary rush in the cleaning process, gasoline came into contact with the exhaust pipe and caught fire. We tried to put it out, we used up all our fire extinguishers and even tried to smother it with sand, but to no avail. We watched helplessly as the car burned to the ground, forcing us to retire.
This year, with the support of Oreca, Sadev and R53, we have fully upgraded everything from the engine management system to the chassis and suspension, and we will conduct 2,000 kilometres of testing. I believe this will be a highly competitive T1+ racing car. 2024 and 2025 were our two toughest years. But this year we will be driving a mature race car and there will be no problems completing the rally. We have never abandoned our dream of chasing success. In 2026, we will give our all at the Dakar to keep challenging for a Top 10 finish! While every Dakar presents us with immense challenges, overcoming every obstacle to reach the finish line and achieving excellent results feels like navigating life's trials, and crossing each chasm with resilience. Rally-raid is an incredibly uplifting sport. I love it!"
L.M.: "I have fully recovered from the injuries I suffered in 2024. In 2025 we were driving the newly developed HanWei T1+ car, which had some minor flaws, so we didn't complete all the stages. After a year of testing and optimisation, I believe the car is now almost perfect, and I hope we can set a new personal best at this year's Dakar."
