Dune and dusted as Dakar Rally tests limits of endurance

30.12.2022 - 10:25 arabnews.com

SAUDI ARABIA: When it comes to endurance races in motor sport, nothing can quite compete with the annual Dakar Rally which starts its 45th edition on the shores of the Red Sea on Saturday.

This year’s event stretches 8,549 km over 15 days of racing, including a four-day excursion into the as yet unexplored desert dunes of the vast Rub’ Al-Khali, or Empty Quarter. “Be Afraid’ seems to be the message of the route for the 2023 Dakar,” said organizers when they revealed the course at the start of December.

The warning does not appear to have put anyone off: More than 800 riders, drivers and co-drivers will set off in an array of motorcycles, cars, quads, trucks and light vehicles when the race begins on Saturday.

Among them some well-known names, including nine-time World Rally champion Sebastien Loeb (BRX) who is relishing the prospect of competing in his sixth Dakar. “It’s 14 stages, it’s very long, a proper endurance rally,” he said. “We need to find the right pace to get to the finish with as few mistakes as possible.” The Frenchman, who has just won the 2022 edition of the Extreme E, has a tough battle in front of him if he is to improve on his three podium finishes and chalk up that first win.

Football soccer as Sebastien Loeb Nasser Al-Attiyah Carlos Sainz Red Sea Brazil Usa Sander Saudi Arabia Dakar

DAMMAM: Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah on Sunday won his fifth Dakar Rally driver’s title and second in a row, with Argentina’s Kevin Benavides securing his second motorbike crown.

Dakar Rally to remain in Saudi Arabia, say organisers

Saudi Arabia will continue to be the home of the Dakar Rally for the next few years with race director David Castera telling AFP "we still have so many deserts to explore".

Nasser Al-Attiyah makes it five Dakar Rally titles as Kevin Benavides claims motorcycle glory

Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah won the Dakar Rally car crown for the fifth time on Sunday while Argentine KTM rider Kevin Benavides triumphed on two wheels to take his second title in Saudi Arabia.

Al-Attiyah crowned Dakar Rally driver's champion for 5th time

Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah won his fifth Dakar Rally driver's title and second in a row on Sunday after the iconic test of endurance finished in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

Al-Attiyah crowned Dakar Rally driver's champion for fifth time

Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah won his fifth Dakar Rally driver's title and second in a row on Sunday after the iconic test of endurance finished in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

Dakar Rally to remain in Saudi Arabia, say organizers

AL-HOFUF, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia will continue to be the home of the Dakar Rally for the next few years with race director David Castera telling AFP “we still have so many deserts to explore.”Castera was speaking after Saturday’s penultimate stage with Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah poised for his fifth title.“I’m very happy we’re staying here, with so many deserts still to explore and with this country’s enormous potential,” he said.Motorsport’s toughest endurance test moved to the conservative Kingdom in 2020 after a spell in South America on an initial 10-year contract.Dakar organizers ASO announced the switch in 2019 saying a new chapter of the gruelling race’s history would be written in the “mysterious and vast deserts” of the land.Castera confirmed a clause in the Saudi deal to pull out after five years would not be taken up.“Today there’s been a big change, it’s progressing at a fast rate,” commented Castera.“I’m not here to play politics but to organize a sporting event which has the legitimacy to exist here because the terrain suits it.”Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in attracting high profile sporting events including tennis, golf and Formula One to its shores and is preparing a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup.And last month five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Saudi side Al-Nassr in a deal worth 200 million euros.In the race, Al-Attiyah should complete the cruise to his fifth title.