00:00For the seventh straight year, the Dakar Rally will continue to explore the vast and majestic landscapes of Saudi Arabia.
00:10The 48th edition covers a colossal 8,000 km loop from Yanbu on the Red Sea,
00:15with nearly 5,000 km of time stages, making it one of the most balanced and demanding routes yet in the Middle East.
00:23Endurance will be pushed further by two major rule changes.
00:27First, the new Marathon Refuge stages in weeks 1 and 2 combine elements of the Classic Marathon and 48 hours chrono.
00:35Competitors will be isolated for two days in stripped-down bivouacs without mechanical support,
00:40relying solely on their own skills and the camaraderie of fellow racers.
00:45Second, select stages will now include mid-stage service points, allowing tire changes and quick repairs.
00:52In addition, the separate FIA and FIM routes introduced last year have been extended to four days,
00:58further enhancing safety and comfort for all participants, but also increasing the challenges for the cars opening these stages.
01:05Now, let's take a closer look at the race.
01:08This year, the start camp returns to the port city of Yanbu on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast.
01:14Final scrutineering for all participants will be held on January 1 and 2, followed by the opening ceremony on January 3.
01:21Afterward, competitors will tackle a short prologue with 23 km of special stages,
01:27with the fastest finishers earning the advantage of choosing their starting order for the following day.
01:34Week 1 of the race takes the rally north.
01:37Stages 1 to 3 plunge competitors into the majestic landscapes around Alula and Hai.
01:43Expect black stone, fast gravel and technical canyons that punish tires and suspension early on.
01:50Stages 4 and 5 form the first of the two-day marathon refuge, demanding measured driving and self-sufficiency as the field heads deeper into the desert.
02:00The week culminates with stage 6, a 920 km monster stage, before the rest day in Riyadh.
02:08This is the longest stage of the entire rally, featuring towering dunes and deep sand corridors.
02:15A true endurance test designed to test both man and machine to their absolute limits.
02:21The journey back starts with a long run toward Wadi at the Wazir, famous for its rolling dune fields.
02:27Once again, stages 7 and 8 stand out as some of the toughest, with stage 8 covering 481 km and marking the longest selective section of Dakar 2026.
02:38Stages 9 and 10 mark the second refuge marathon, with separate routes for bikes and cars, focusing on pure, grueling navigation.
02:47And as it was not enough, stage 10 will propose an epic portion of dunes and sand.
02:53Stage 11 from Bisha to Al-Henakia is already being called the rally-defining leg.
02:58Packed with complex canyons, hidden tracks and countless intersections, this is the navigation trap that will likely determine the final podium.
03:08Stages 12 and 13 are the final push, a fast technical race back to the coast.
03:13Even the final day features a competitive section that could flip the result with the Red Sea in sight.
03:19The 2026 edition, with its circular route, dual marathons and one of the longest Saudi stages ever, is a two-week battle of skill, reliability and resilience.
03:29Only the toughest will reach the finish.
03:32Alongside the main race, the Dakar Classic returns for its sixth edition with around 100 vehicles from the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s.
03:41Competitors will face a record 7,280 km route, including 4,162 km of timed stages.
03:52As a regularity race, crews must maintain a set average speed while tackling three types of tests, regularity, navigation and dunes.
04:01New for 2026 are super regularity tests, raising the challenge and demanding even greater versatility and endurance from both seasoned veterans and passionate newcomers.
04:13While celebrating its past with the Dakar Classic, the race also continues to look to the future with the extension of two key initiatives.
04:21Mission 1000, launched in 2021 as part of the Dakar Future Vision, provides a platform for alternative energy vehicles to compete and be tested in a natural laboratory over a 1,000 km course in Saudi Arabia.
04:35Whilst the Dakar Saudi next-gen program also returns, offering a six-day immersion into the Dakar rally guided by experts.
04:43Its aim is to identify and develop future Saudi motorsport champions, to hopefully follow in the footsteps of 2025 winner Yazid Al-Raji.
04:53In total, Dakar 2026 will feature 812 competitors and 433 vehicles, broken down as follows.
05:02118 bikes, including 27 in the original by Motul category, 73 Ultimate vehicles, 38 Challenger vehicles and 43 SSVs, 46 trucks, 8 stock vehicles, 75 Dakar Classic cars, 24 Dakar Classic trucks, 7 Mission 1000 bikes, 1 Mission 1000 truck.
05:30The field also includes 39 women, 19 in the Dakar Classic, 144 rookies and 107 legends.
05:39Competitors will represent 69 different nationalities.
05:43All coming together to write another chapter in the history of this remarkable event.
05:49Break time and talent based on site values .
05:51Pro Problem Mind
05:595
06:06Maik
06:075
06:09Bank
06:107
06:12Bank
06:135
06:13び
