The Dakar Rally will leave Saudi Arabia for its 49th edition, running between Portugal and Morocco from January 9 to 23, 2027, before heading back to Saudi Arabia in 2028 for its 50th anniversary. Organizers described the move as exceptional, citing the recent situation in Saudi Arabia, and said the Dakar Classic, the Dakar Future Mission 1000, and the Dakar Saudi Next Gen program will all follow the relocation.
Key Match Highlights & Tactical Analysis
The event opens the 2027 season of the FIA and FIM World Rally-Raid Championships and consists of a prologue followed by twelve stages. The Algarve stages the prologue and the opening special out of Loulé-Faro, using the 30,000-seat Algarve Stadium that staged the finish of the W2RC’s second round last April under the Automóvel Club de Portugal. Morocco then carries eleven stages, with a rest day at Agadir.
The route covers 7,824 km in total, including 4,341 km of special stage across six bivouacs, a figure close to recent editions. Most daily specials range between 350 and 500 kilometers. The service park opens January 5 at Loulé-Faro, where administrative and technical scrutineering runs from January 6 to 8. After the prologue on January 9 and the first special stage the next day, competitors transfer to an overnight Mediterranean crossing to Nador, reaching Morocco on January 11 and transferring to the first bivouac at Bouarfa.
Source: Yahoo Sports
