Dakar 2021 Route Announced: Will Be Hosted In Saudi Arabia Between January 3 And 15

Rumours were suggesting that the event would go cross-country into Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. However, owing to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic across the world, the officials have decided to run the entire race in Saudi Arabia like last year.

The official of the event has also confirmed that the 2021 edition will have a new route and will not follow any of the routes held in 2020 Dakar Rally. There will be a mix of fast and slow stages and will be more technical with varying dunes section. In addition to this, each stage will also have a slow and fast section alternately.

The 2021 route will run in a loop starting from the Red Sea port city of Jeddah and continued over 12 stages to conclude back in Jeddah. The event will start on January 3, 2021, with a rest day on January 9 in Ha'il and the final stage will be completed on January 15. The full route distance and stage-wise breakdown are expected to be announced in November.

In addition to the main race, the 43rd edition of the event will also have a competition called the Dakar Classic. In parallel to the main race, the cars and trucks that participated before the 2000s will be appearing in the race, making a comeback.

Indian two-wheel manufacturers such as Hero MotoCorp and TVS-Sherco Racing are expected to continue their involvement in the upcoming edition of the world's toughest rally. The Dakar 2021 is expected to continue seeing Indian riders participating in the event as well including the country's Ace rally rider C.S. Santosh racing for Hero Motorsport and this year's debutant Harith Noah racing for TVS Sherco Rally racing team.

The 2021 edition of the Dakar will continue with handing the racers the roadbook for stages just before the start of the special stage. This was one among the key changes that were introduced in the 2020 Dakar and will be carried forward to the next edition as well. The change was aimed at making racers concentrating more on navigation and reducing speeds to make it safer.

Other changes have been made to ensure the safekeeping of racers during the event. This is done by installing a device to their vehicle that will sound out an audio alert to warn them when they are reaching a dangerous section of a stage. This has been done across all categories in the event. Additionally, airbag jackets will be made mandatory for all participants to increase safety, especially for motorcycle riders.

The organizers have also announced the motorcycle riders will be restricted to use just six of rear tyres for the entire event and that no maintenance work will be allowed during a refuelling stop. This will make the rider make more cautious while riding and will force them to take more care of their machinery.

Thoughts About The Dakar 2021 Route Announced

The 43rd edition of the Dakar is all set to be held in Saudi Arabia, which is the same as last year. However, the officials have confirmed that it will be an all-new route with new special stages. The officials have also announced new regulations to ensure the safekeeping of participants competing in the event.