Polish duo Łukasz Łaskawiec and Rafał Sonik, also riding for Yamaha, would also be expected to be in contention having both finished in the top three in previous years, with Dakar rookie Sebastian Husseini leading Honda's challenge for honours in the category.
South African Toyota dealership Imperial Toyota would field a pair of Hilux machines for 2009 winner Giniel de Villiers and Duncan Vos, with the Japanese marque also represented by Overdrive's Lucio Alvarez and Peter van Merksteijn.