Yanbu: The 48th edition of the Dakar Rally kicks off tomorrow, Saturday, in Saudi Arabia, which is hosting the event for the seventh consecutive year. A total of 812 competitors are participating, including Qatari driver Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah of the Dacia team and Saudi driver Yazeed Al Rajhi of the Toyota team, the defending champion.
According to Qatar News Agency, the total distance of the rally is 7,994 km for cars and 7,906 km for motorcycles, of which 4,480 km are timed for cars and 4,748 km for motorcycles. The rally begins in the city of Yanbu on the Red Sea coast with a Super Special Stage, passing through stages including Al Ula, Hail, Riyadh, Wadi Al Dawasir, Bisha, and Al Hanakiya, before concluding again in Yanbu on January 17.
The rally route features two marathon stages. The first, in Al Ula, covers 451 km of timed sections out of a total of 526 km, while motorcycles compete over 417 km of competitive sections out of a total of 492 km. The route continues towards Hail, with 372 km for cars and 356 km for motorcycles.
The second marathon stage will run from Wadi Al Dawasir to Bisha, covering 418 km of timed sections for motorcycles and 410 km for cars, followed by 421 km for cars and 371 km for motorcycles.