Dakar to return to North Africa?

Front242
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10/25/2026 11:17am

where ....all i can find from today is Spain or Portugal possible but nothing announced finally.

also the Start isn't sure.... maybe from January 1th to the 9th

but nothing final announced.!

10/25/2026 12:31pm
Front242 wrote:
where ....all i can find from today is Spain or Portugal possible but nothing announced finally.also the Start isn't sure.... maybe from January 1th to the...

where ....all i can find from today is Spain or Portugal possible but nothing announced finally.

also the Start isn't sure.... maybe from January 1th to the 9th

but nothing final announced.!

Expect clarity in the coming days.

Beagle
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10/25/2026 12:51pm Edited Date/Time 10/25/2026 12:51pm
Gravel wrote:

Did North Africa get safer or did Saudi just pass North Africa danger wise?

Unlike Saudi Arabia, Morocco is not an active warzone at the moment.

Rallies have been raced there for over 25 years. The danger zone was always a bit more south, you don't want to go near Mauritania or Mali, Sahel region has been unstable for years, which is why Dakar left in the first place, and they're not going back there.

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The Shop

TalinH112
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10/25/2026 4:34pm

Hopefully it isn’t in Australia. Toby is already a cheater, we don’t want to give him home field advantage also! 😉

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1
Beagle
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10/26/2026 12:44am

Returning to Saudi Arabia in 2028, that's optimistic.

True but Saudi Arabia pays ASO 15 million a year for the sportwashing. Their agreement ends in 2029 or 2030 so it would take a lot more time and lawyers to break this properly.

2
Natester551
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10/26/2026 6:50am

Returning to Saudi Arabia in 2028, that's optimistic.

Beagle wrote:
True but Saudi Arabia pays ASO 15 million a year for the sportwashing. Their agreement ends in 2029 or 2030 so it would take a lot...

True but Saudi Arabia pays ASO 15 million a year for the sportwashing. Their agreement ends in 2029 or 2030 so it would take a lot more time and lawyers to break this properly.

Well put...I love Dakar, but it's pretty stomach-churning to be part of the sportwashing of their regime.  Most people don't even know who Jamal Khashoggi is (or the fact that the Saudi security services (under the direction of the crown prince) literally lured him to the embassy, murdered him, and chopped him up in the Saudi embassy in Turkey for having the audacity of criticizing the Saudi government).  

I don't blame the competitors at all, but it's pretty sad what truckloads of money will gloss over....

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FMB2.0
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10/26/2026 2:56pm

October 26, 2026

The Amaury Sport Organisation and the Saudi Motorsport Company announced that the 2027 Dakar Rally will not be held in Saudi Arabia due to regional security concerns. 
 
  • One-Off Relocation: ASO described the move as an "exceptional and one-off" decision.
  • The specific route for 2027 has not yet been publicly named, though ASO stated a separate announcement regarding the new route will be coming shortly
1
Beta480RX
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Helena, MT, USA
10/26/2026 3:01pm
arebnac wrote:
Crazy to think FIA was planning on keep these events in Saudi even with all the attacks.They were trying to keep the World Rally Championship event...

Crazy to think FIA was planning on keep these events in Saudi even with all the attacks.
They were trying to keep the World Rally Championship event there but Toyota and Hyundai put out traveling restrictions for their employees to those regions due to safety concern - then FIA cancelled the event. Toyota is also in Dakar with this ban. Ford, RenaultGroup were to join the restrictions according to some sources. (Im not sure how the bike's brands were about this, only the cars)

philG wrote:
Every company has a duty of care to their employees...  as soon as one of these 'do not travel' things comes out, no amount of '...

Every company has a duty of care to their employees...  as soon as one of these 'do not travel' things comes out, no amount of ' it will be ok' can force people to go there.

From what I've heard from other sources tied to rally reporting, KTM and Honda also told the ASO a big fat nope on our people traveling to KSA with the conditions as they currently stand.

Rad76
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10/27/2026 5:42am

Based on how things are in France,  their biggest security threat is likely in Europe 😂

France is fine, no worries. 

1
FMB2.0
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1 hour ago

Dakar Rally Confirms 2027 Route

Ryan Nitzen |  Cycle News 
October 30, 2026

After news broke that the 2027 Dakar Rally would not be held in Saudi Arabia, the ASO confirmed that the event will relocate to Europe and Africa for 2027, before returning to Saudi for the 50th edition of the race in 2028. The 49th running of the Dakar will kick off the 2027 season of the FIM World Rally-Raid Championship and takes place from January 9 to January 23. The route consists of a prologue followed by twelve stages from Loulé-Faro in Portugal to Marrakech in Morocco.

2027-dakar-rally-route-cycle-news

The 2027 Dakar Rally will now take place in Portugal and Morocco. 

The 30,000-seat Algarve Stadium in the southernmost district of Portugal will host the prologue and the first special stage while the other 11 stages are set to take place in Morocco. Stage one includes a transfer to the port of Nador, Morocco with the Mediterranean crossing taking place overnight.

2027-dakar-rally-saudi-update

This year’s route features a 4861.6 mile route with 2697 of those miles being special stages. 

Over 350 entires have already been confirmed for this year’s race which features a 4861.6 mile route with 2697 of those miles (57%) being special stages. Six different bivouacs will host racers along this year’s race with most stages ranging from 220 and 310 miles.

2026 Dakar Rally Results 2026 Dakar Rally Results Stage 13: Luciano Benavides is the 2026 Dakar champion after an incredible final stage.

Last year’s rally came down to the final stage between Luciano Benavides (left) and Ricky Brabec (right).

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