Dakar Rally, presented the 2026 edition

The 48th edition of the Dakar Rally, which will be run from Jan. 3 to Jan. 17, will offer a “challenging” route with a “balanced” mix of tests spread across the desert of Saudi Arabia, according to what the organizers announced today at the presentation in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).

812 competitors (in 325 vehicles, including 118 motorcycles) are registered for the Dakar 2026, which will have to cover about eight thousand kilometers, 4,900 of which will be time trials. “It promises to be a challenging Dakar”, explained the race director, David Castera, explaining that a balance has been sought “in the preparation of the route, while maintaining a consistently high level of difficulty”.

The rally-raid will start and finish in Yanbu, on the Arabian west coast on the Red Sea. The route alternates between fast stretches and rocky and dune sections and also includes two marathon stages (4-5 and 9-10) with overnight stays in a bivouac-shelter and separate tracks for motorcycles and four-wheelers. The longest stage, the sixth, plans to cover 920 km of which 331 km is special test “100% sand and dunes”.