Dakar 2020: What To Expect From Saudi Arabia?

The Dakar rally has built a reputation for itself of offering some of the harshest and most brutal terrain for a rally. As it shifts base for the second time in its history, Saudi Arabia has a lot to live up to. So what are the new challenges in store for the competitors for 2020?

100 per cent Saudi
It is the second time in the history of the rally that the event has taken place in a single country. Last year’s event in Peru was the first occurrence of the same. The wide variety of terrain on offer in both of these countries made the ASO (Dakar’s organisers) choose to have it in a single nation. The stages in Saudi Arabia contain a good mix of mountainous sections, WRC-style stages and finally culminating in the dunes of the Rub’ al Khali desert.

Super marathon stage
The days of the marathon stage are always the ones that teams and pilots tend to take it cautiously. Afterall, the marathon stage requires the participants to conduct any repairs that need to be carried out on their machines by themselves. This year, the organisers have a new ‘super marathon’ stage for the bikes and quad participants, which takes place right on day 2. At the end of the day’s proceedings in Neom, the mechanics as well as the riders will be allowed to work on the machines only for a duration of ten minutes. Teams will have to be particularly quick to fix any ailing issues on the bike as the rider will have to wait until the end of the Neom loop stage 3 to conduct proper repairs.

Endurance holds key
The Dakar returns to its true essence of endurance rallying as five of the twelve stages chalked have a timed section over 450km. Staying on top of navigation while going at full clip will require some tremendous mental fortitude as these stages are designed to wear down the riders/drivers.

Dune surfing
Elevation changes might not be as much of an issue as it was in South America, what will pose the biggest threat will be the dunes. Nearly 250m high dunes will require some skill in navigation to tackle them. Navigational experts will thrive on these stages as it helps in understanding the changing patterns of the dunes.

Sand of different varieties
Nearly 75 per cent of this year’s Dakar’s competitive stages will be held on sandy terrain. However, each section of the rally has its own different type of sand to tackle. The initial stages pass through the coastal section as the sand changes when passing through the valleys of the Ha’il region and into the desert.

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