Jaromír Romančík will work together with Dušan Drdaj yet again at the 2025 Dakar Rally. Kind of.
On Friday, Cajdašrot Dakar Team announced they have added Romančík to their roster for their Dakar début next January. While this technically makes him a team-mate to Drdaj like they were at the 2024 race, Romančík intends to compete in the Original by Motul category for solo riders without assistance from teams.
The two were previously part of Orion – Moto Racing Group, doing the 2023 Rallye du Maroc together to qualify for Dakar. For his first start in the World Rally-Raid Championship, Romančík impressed at Morocco with a seventh in the Rally2 class and second among Road to Dakar riders, which a win would have earned him free Dakar Rally registration.
His maiden Dakar started as sluggish as his body due to a stomach bug that hampered his performance. Mechanical issues also plagued his bike including a broken fuel system and radiator, leaving him at the bottom of the rankings throughout the first half of the race despite otherwise running in the top twenty in class. Romančík retired for good after volunteering to give his bike’s rear wheel to his other team-mate Milan Engel—who was competing for a top ten (and succeeded, validating Romančík’s sacrifice)—in Stage #7.
After his exit, Romančík expressed interest in switching to Original by Motul for 2025, which he called the “real Dakar” and “probably the cheapest option for me.”
Cajdašrot Dakar Team’s mechanics cannot lend him their services during the race as a Malle Moto rider. Still, the partnership means he will be sponsored by Cajdašrot, a Czech metal trade company. The team was formed in August.
Before dabbling in rally, he was an enduro rider who has represented the Czech Republic at the Motocross des Nations and International Six Days Enduro. In 2016, Romančík and his countrymen finished third at the ISDE to win the Watling Trophy for most improved team.
The 2025 Dakar Rally runs on 3–17 January.
