The detailed route for the Dakar 2024 was revealed this Monday, just a month and a half before the start, scheduled for January 5. This is the most generous menu since the event was held in the Middle East.
On the occasion of its 46th edition, the 5th in Saudi Arabia, the great rally-raid race will offer a total of 7,891 km to cover. The timed part is important, since the competitors will have to face 4727 km of special stages, a little more than during the 2023 edition (4706 timed km).
A new format, “48 hours flat”
“We took it as a challenge to design the fifth edition in Saudi Arabia as the most challenging in this current series,” confided David Castera, director of the Dakar. From then on, to make things worse, a marathon stage based on a new format, called “48 hours chrono”, was set up in the famous Empty Quarter desert.
The organizers specify that this stage “spreads over two days and disperses the competitors almost independently across eight different bivouacs.” It will take place over 818 km, including 584 km timed at mid-race, on January 11 and 12, just before the rest day observed in the capital Riyadh, on Saturday January 13.
354 vehicles expected
The start of the 46th Dakar will be given on Friday January 5 in AlUla with a 27 km prologue. Alternating between 100% sand specials and stony sections, the event will be judged over 12 stages to conclude on Friday January 19 with an arrival in the town of Yanbu, on the edge of the Red Sea.
The organizers have indicated that 354 vehicles are expected at the start of this event which serves as the opening round of the third season of the World Rally Raid Championships (W2RC), detailing the volume of entries in each category. Namely, 137 motorcycles and 10 quads for the FIM, and according to the new names adopted by the FIA, 72 cars in Ultimate (T1 and T2), 42 in Challenger (T3), 36 in SSV (T4) and 46 in Truck ( T5, trucks).
The official route of Dakar 2024!
AlUla – Yanbu
7,891 km (4,727 km of SS)#Dakar2024 #DakarInSaudi pic.twitter.com/HKXnFp6Dt2
— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) November 20, 2023
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To sum up
A month and a half before the start, the organizers of the Dakar have just lifted the veil on the route of the 46th edition of the event, the 5th in Saudi Arabia. Competitors will have to tackle 7891 km, including 4727 km timed.
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