The 45th Dakar Rally, the biggest motorsport event in the world and the most prestigious rally on earth, returns to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the fourth time in a row from 31 December to 15 January 2023, the opening of the FIA Desert Rally Championship season. In preparation for the big event, Amauri Sports Organization, the organizer of the Dakar Rally, in collaboration with Saudi Motorsports, has announced that an official press conference will be held remotely to give details of the Dakar Rally 2023. December 1, 13:30 KSA.
In turn, HRH Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al Abdullah Al Faisal, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Arabian Motor Sports Federation and Saudi Motorsports, expressed his joy at the return of the Dakar Rally to Saudi Arabia for the fourth time. in a row, emphasizing that this event represents the generous support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the two Honorable Kings Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, may God bless him, for the development of the sports sector and the dedication of His Royal Highness Prince Muhammad bin Salman, Crown Prince, may he protect him God, to provide every opportunity that will strengthen the Kingdom’s leading position in the world sports arena, in line with the goals of the Kingdom’s vision for 2030, as well as the diligent follow-up and directives of His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Minister of Sports, pointing to that the new rally track will add more excitement to drivers and will reflect the most beautiful picturesque scenery typical of the Kingdom in front of Dakar Rally spectators from all over the world. .
His Highness said: “We look forward to once again welcoming the participants of the toughest rally in the world to enjoy this exceptional competitive atmosphere on the soil of the Kingdom, to build on the success we have achieved over the past three years and to confirm our ability to host the biggest international races through which we will convey to the world what makes it different. Our country has beautiful nature and a varied and diverse landscape that speaks of the beauty of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
This year, the Amaroui Sports Organization has unveiled a brand new course that will take participants from the shores of the Red Sea, across the desert sands of the Kingdom, to Dammam on the Persian Gulf coast, on a journey of 14 stages and one preliminary stage, the longest of stages is the route of the Saudi Dakar Rally 2023. The special stages depend on the time in the history of the rally in the Kingdom, and the length of the special stages ranges from 350-500 km. The 2023 Saudi Dakar Rally is 70% new tracks and will start from the Red Sea camp at Yanbu before heading east towards Al-Ula and Hail where riders will complete two circuit stages. The rally then begins its journey south, stopping at Dawadmi before a rest day in Riyadh. The journey then continues east towards Harad before heading southeast for a three-day trek across an ocean of sand dunes in the Empty Quarter desert. The Empty Quarter covers a vast area of challenging desert sand dunes the size of France, and is the area where the marathon stage will take place, where competitors will not be allowed to receive outside help from their teams. Following the completion of the marathon stage, runners will head north along the Gulf coast, passing through Shaiba and Hofuf, before reaching the final stage in Dammam, where runners will cover almost 5,000 kilometers of timed special stages, the longest distance on special stages since 2014. .
This year will see the return of the Dakar Classic category for the third time, featuring historic and oldest vehicles (up to the 21st century), and this year a brand new category will be added to define low average speeds that adapt. less powerful vehicles to ensure fairer competition. This year we will also see two new challenges: “Call the Navigator” for cars that participate without relying on modern tools; and the “Icon Classic Club Challenge” for cars that originally competed in the Dakar in the 20th century.
A number of changes to the sporting regulations were also announced, which will come into force this year, including the introduction of an electronic road guide available to all participants, a new mirror road and the division of some sections into two lanes (A and B). The guides for routes A and B are assigned so randomly that competitors who follow their predecessors risk losing their waypoints and thus incur heavy penalties. The organizers also announced a time bonus for those who open the stage in the cycling category. While the amount of the bonus has yet to be announced, the idea behind the rule change is to deter riders from voluntarily relinquishing position to win a stage due to obstacles to opening the next stage.
