JEDDAH: Over 1,000 race cars and equipment arrived at Yanbu after the two vessels carrying them berthed at King Fahd Industrial Port as preparations for Dakar Rally’s fifth edition in Saudi Arabia are underway.
The vessels sailed toward the Kingdom from Barcelona, and once the offloading process is completed, rally cars and equipment are poised to proceed to the rally’s launch site, according to a media statement on Tuesday.
Participants of the 46th edition of Dakar Rally, the motorsport world’s most famous and challenging rally, are preparing to embark on a new challenge across Saudi Arabia’s picturesque landscapes and explore its distinctive geographical diversity between Jan. 5 and 19, 2024.
The two vessels were loaded with 864 vehicles, five helicopters, and 39 containers, along with support, media, and event organizer vehicles. The Kingdom is fully hosting the event for the fifth consecutive year, with 778 drivers and co-drivers participating.
This year’s rally course consists of a prologue stage and 12 special stages, beginning with a preliminary journey from AlUla’s desert camp before venturing through Al-Henakiyah, Al-Duwadimi, Al-Salamiya, Al-Hofuf, Shubaytah, Riyadh, Hail, and Yanbu.
Participants are expected to start arriving in the Kingdom on Dec. 29 and 30, 2023, with the scrutineering of the participating vehicles scheduled for Jan. 3 and 4, 2024, at the AlUla camp.
The opening ceremony is set for Jan. 4, the prologue stage for Jan. 5, and the first stage of the rally starts on Jan. 6, 2024.
The Dakar Rally 2024 Saudi Arabia will feature 434 vehicles, including 137 motorbikes, 72 race cars, 46 trucks, 42 T3 and 36 T4 lightweight vehicles, alongside 10 quad bikes, 66 classic cars, and 14 classic trucks. Additionally, 10 vehicles will compete in the Dakar Future — Mission 1000 category, comprising one car, one truck, two T3 category vehicles, and six motorbikes.
The Dakar Rally stands as one of the oldest races in motorsports, recognized for its extensive scale, variety of events, and the intense thrill and passion it consistently delivers. It is organized by the Amaury Sport Organization in collaboration with the Saudi Motorsport Co., which operates under the umbrella of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, in coordination with other local authorities.
Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia gears up for its 5th edition
https://arab.news/pmawg
Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia gears up for its 5th edition
- Participants of the 46th edition of Dakar Rally will embark on a new challenge across Saudi Arabia’s picturesque landscapes
- This year’s rally course consists of a prologue stage and 12 special stages
Sanders crashes out of Dakar Rally contention and Al-Attiyah reclaims car lead
- The Australian’s KTM finished 28 minutes behind stage 10 winner Adrien van Beveren’s Honda
- Al-Attiyah has a sixth Dakar triumph in sight
BISHA, Saudi Arabia: Dakar Rally front-runner Daniel Sanders crashed and fell out of motorbike title contention and Nasser Al-Attiyah snatched back the car lead in the Saudi desert on Wednesday.
Sanders broke his left collarbone and sternum jumping a dune 138 kilometers into the 368-kilometer second half of a marathon stage to Bisha. The defending champion continued but slower and within 30 kilometers his six-minute overnight lead was gone.
The Australian’s KTM finished 28 minutes behind stage 10 winner Adrien van Beveren’s Honda and he dropped from first overall to fourth, more than 17 minutes back, two minutes off the podium.
That left the title to be decided between new leader Ricky Brabec and Luciano Benavides, second and third on the stage. The American’s Honda and Argentine’s KTM were separated overall by 56 seconds ahead of, effectively, a two stage shootout. The final stage on Saturday is usually a ceremonial ride.
Brabec won the Dakar in 2020 and 2024 while Benavides has never won; best placing was fourth last year.
Al-Attiyah has a sixth Dakar triumph in sight.
The dunes specialist from Qatar stamped his authority on the sandy special to finish second to Mathieu Serradori, who gave South African manufacturer Century its first Dakar stage win.
Serradori won his second career stage by six minutes.
The Fords of Nani Roma (first overnight), Carlos Sainz (second) and Mattias Ekström (fifth) were the biggest losers.
Ekström was first to the checkpoint at 91 kilometers but moments later suffered a mechanical problem. Roma lost his way and dropped 10 minutes just before passing 200 kilometers. Sainz also made a navigation error in the soft sand.
“I’m knackered, my back hurts, I suffered a lot today,” Roma said. “But that’s part of the game.”
Also, Toyota’s Henk Lategan, fourth overnight, ran out of fuel and made a navigation error.
Al-Attiyah grabbed the provisional overall lead about 200 kilometers into the 420-kilometer special and topped a Dacia 2-3-4 stage finish with Sébastien Loeb and Lucas Moraes.
“My head and body have taken a real beating,” Al-Attiyah said. “But we really attacked from start to finish. Fabian (Lurquin, navigator) did a great job and we can feel both happy and lucky because it was really hard.”
Overall, Al-Attiyah earned his biggest lead yet, over Lategan by 12 minutes, Roma by nearly 13 and Loeb by 23. Ekström and Sainz fell more than 34 minutes back.
