The Dakar Rally is nestled comfortably in its Saudi oasis, where oil money has been used to finance the race and bring unexpected improvements day after day to the thousands of residents who make up its traveling caravan. Now there was a hot bath, a plate of food ready to be served 24 hours a day in the home, and even air conditioning, something unprecedented in those early days in Africa. And the best continues. Between January 3 and 17, 2026, the project will return for the seventh time to the Arabian Desert to celebrate the forty-eighth edition of the adventure created by Frenchman Thierry Sabine in 1977, which was lost in the desert.
In the rural landscape of the Arabian Peninsula, well known to those who never fail to mention it, but not the least to its beauty, the menu will be the one that has been usual in recent editions: a very high difficulty list, and a lot of competence in the main categories of cars and motorcycles. “We sought balance and symmetry between the two weeks of competition,” commented David Castera, Rally Director. “We have achieved a high level in the last few years, which pleases me and all competitors in general,” adds the former French pilot.
8,000 kilometers of the Odyssey, 4,900 of which are on the clock, await participants, with 325 adventure-oriented vehicles. Among the 118 motorcycles registered, Spaniard Edgar Canet (KTM) and Tosha Sharina (Honda) ranked highly. In the coaches, the incombustible Carlos Sainz (Ford) will seek his fifth Tuareg title in 63 years in a record-breaking convoy of prototypes (72). Four wheels away, Laia Sanz will make her debut in the Judgment class with Ebro, continuing down the canyon foot and with the first swords Cristina Gutierrez (Dacia), Nani Roma (Ford) and Yazid Esteve (Toyota).
The Dunes will have one day each week to compete, divided by a break in Riyadh, the country’s capital, on the 10th of this month. There will also be divided parts of the marathon stages as a refuge, where all competitors, professionals and amateurs, will share the night below with the campaign camp, military proportions and no kind of assistance from mechanics and equipment, a dose of toughness that takes the participants back to their origins and the true “dakari” spirit.
“Every day, there will be a lot of kilometers and a little bit of everything on each stage. There will be cobblestones, very technical parts, faster parts, sand dunes, a plaza… an area known but never lost,” explains Castera. At a competitive level, not much will change and the philosophy will remain the same. “You give 100% every day, and I’m sure you won’t finish,” explains Sébastien Loeb, a motorsport icon who spent years chasing elusive rally glory. This year there will be more candidates than ever before in all categories, including defending motorcycle champion, Australian Daniel Sanders (KTM), and Saudi Arabian car rider Yazeed Al Rajhi (Toyota).
As in all sports, extreme professionalism has captured the liveliness of the Dakar The other camps will be in Al-Ula, Hail, Wadi Al-Dawasir, Bisha, and Al-Hanakiyah.
It is a gesture recognized by all the employees surrounding the competition that always leaves Navidad to all its champions, and when they travel later, the carrera will have to take the grapes on the departing plane. The design is relative: the “solo” car will move seven times in 14 days, a record minimum in Arabia, and so the assistance will be more comfortable for the endless night shifts while the participants try to attract attention, which is not at all easy with building mechanics that test the rear engines.
About The Author
