Dakar Rally

January 5 th 2020 - 14:49 [GMT + 3] Maps can be deceiving at first sight. What seemed an essentially coastal course turned out to be a surprising hodgepodge of terrains for competitors in the first stage of the Dakar. Even the last two winners of the Dakar, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Carlos Sainz, along with defending SSV champion "Chaleco" López, were blindsided by the rocky sectors near the end of the stage, leading to punctures that cost them several minutes apiece. The competitors only really felt the coastal wind on the liaison taking them to Al Wajh. The first to arrive will enjoy the refreshing breeze, but chilling winds await laggards who only reach the town in the evening… or after nightfall.

January 6 th 2020 - 14:51 [GMT + 3] The riders and drivers on the Dakar were never far from the beach… but today they did not encounter much sand between Al Wajh and Neom, as they constantly followed the Red Sea coastline. On their journey towards the north of the country, they especially travelled from valley to valley, with navigational decisions to be made at all times, which even left some of the most experienced crews dizzy, such as the Carlos Sainz / Lucas Cruz duo. As they reached a semi-mountainous section on the second part of the special, they hardly had the chance to appreciate the view of Jabal Dabbagh Mountain, because their full attention was required to negotiate the rocky terrain threatening their tyres and, more worryingly, their machinery. In the Toyota team, Nasser Al-Attiyah bore the brunt of such mishaps but without serious consequences. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Fernando Alonso…

January 7 th 2020 - 15:14 [GMT + 3] The city of the “new future” does not yet exist, but the competitors were indeed summoned for what seemed like a journey through time on the loop around Neom. The fast tracks in the first 100 kilometres mostly led competitors on a slalom between the giant rocks of Wadi ash Sharmah that give the impression they have been there since the dawn of time. The riders, drivers and crews then made their way through landscapes typical of neighbouring Jordan as they swept round the Jabal ash Shifa Mountains. In the final section, the rocky terrain required the utmost caution from all the competitors.

January 8 th 2020 - 16:33 [GMT + 3] Departing Neom for Al-ʿUla means leaving behind the city of the future to discover the ancient wonders of the master builders of the Nabatean civilisation, who knew how to cut out temples in rocks two millennia ago. The sites peppered with a hundred temples are, of course, out of the reach of the Dakar competitors. However, even getting close to this area has taken a titanic effort. Riding at altitude in the early morning, bikers had to overcome the mountain chill, but especially the rocky terrain and a crossing of the Harrat al 'Uwayrid volcanic region, where any navigation mistakes take a heavy toll. Pictures of the tombs will have to wait.

January 9 th 2020 - 14:52 [GMT + 3] On leaving Al Ula this morning, the riders, drivers and crews of the Dakar threw themselves into a genuine exercise of dexterity. Over 150 kilometres, the mainly sandy terrain forced them to be extremely watchful due to several rocky sections. They then reached the high plateaux of Jabal Sammar at an altitude of almost 1,500 metres, where in fact the hills to be tackled were often a series of tricky steps to be climbed. In any case, the city of Ha’il, renowned as one of the major settlements from the pre-Saudi era, is especially the national capital of the discipline for all-terrain aficionados. The Rally of Ha’il is the most prestigious and oldest event in the country, on which Saudi riders and drivers have been battling against each other for more than ten years, making it a necessary stopping point for the first Dakar in Saudi Arabia!

January 10 th 2020 - 15:35 [GMT + 3] In the middle of the desert! The menu for stage 6 gave the riders, drivers and crews an uninterrupted taste of sand. No villages and not even a river, just plenty of dromedaries from the start in Ha’il, in a splendid off-piste environment with dunes of reasonable size… at least for the moment. Over the 477 kilometres, the machines and their riders and drivers were not safe from mishaps. Rather than the terrain, it was these shortcomings that led to a varying degree of damage to the prospects of Johnny Aubert, Kevin Benavides and also Jakub Przygonski. Once the stage was over, the shock was cultural in nature for the competitors on entering Riyadh: the capital of Saudi Arabia has conserved the heritage of the Bedouins but also boasts the utmost modernity regarding its infrastructures and technology.

January 11 th 2020 - 14:18 [GMT + 3] After six stages, the first edition of the Dakar held in Saudi Arabia has reached the capital Riyadh, with 262 vehicles (108 motorbikes, 15 quads, 65 cars, 34 SSVs and 40 trucks) still in the race, amounting to 77% of the competitors who set off from Jeddah a week ago. 39 of the 80 competitors who were forced to withdraw have decided to continue their adventure and tackle the remaining stages under Dakar Experience rules. As the race heads towards the dunes of the Empty Quarter, which have the potential to shake up the classification, the leaders of the various categories face different scenarios: Ricky Brabec has staked his claim to become the first American winner in the motorbike category, Carlos Sainz is pursuing his third victory in the car category and Ignacio Casale has almost got the quad race in the bag. Finally, "Chaleco" López holds a slim lead in the SSV category, while Kamaz remain the big favourites to win the truck race despite the withdrawal of their leader, Eduard Nikolayev.

January 12 th 2020 - 15:12 [GMT + 3] Stage 7 was marked by a crash that claimed the life of Paulo Gonçalves, who was taking part in his 13th Dakar. The victories of Kevin Benavides (motorbikes) and Carlos Sainz (cars) take second place, leaving the centre stage to a memorial to Team Hero's Portuguese rider to be held during the daily briefing with all competitors present. The essentials The Dakar mourns Paulo Gonçalves, one of the most experienced and beloved champions of the rally-raid family. The runner-up of the 2015 edition and 2013 cross-country rallies world champion crashed 276 km into a special that was ultimately won by his former teammate Kevin Benavides, who tried in vain to assist the Portuguese rider together with Toby Price, the first competitor to reach the scene of the accident. It was a nice tribute on the part of the Argentinian biker, who beat Joan Barreda and Matthias Walkner to claim his first stage win in 2020 after falling out of contention for the overall. Ricky Brabec remains in control of the general classification. In the quad category, Ignacio Casale also defended his lead in spite of Frenchman Simon Vitse's second stage win in a row. The car race again boiled down to a three-way fight featuring Carlos Sainz, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Stéphane Peterhansel, with the Spanish leader of the general classification taking the spoils in Wadi Al-Dawasir thanks to a rock-solid performance. "Chaleco" López surrendered the lead in the SSV category to American Casey Currie, who finished second right behind Blade Hildebrand, now racing under Dakar Experience rules. Finally, Andrey Karginov won the battle of the juggernauts by a slim margin over teammate Dmitry Sotnikov and strengthened his grip on the overall.

January 13 th 2020 - 14:02 [GMT + 3] Wadi, the valley in Arabic, is a fairly good way to describe the stage in which the cars, SSVs and trucks took part today. The crews did not get to see much relief, apart from around one hundred kilometres on the Wajid plateau where several impressive canyons provided variation from the pleasure of driving among the dunes. Indeed, for most of the stage, all that changed was the shades of the sand for the competitors on the Dakar: ochre, orange, mustard yellow or light beige depending on their position in relation to the sun. Following a fast, straight portion over the first fifty kilometres, they had to overcome a sequence of small chains of dunes before reaching the finishing line. In this domain, the usual specialists were not troubled.

January 14 th 2020 - 16:48 [GMT + 3] Today started in a mineral ambiance. The riders and drivers on the Dakar will not see any more stones, but had to tackle 150 kilometres of rocky terrain in an environment that was different to the canyons and mountains of the first week. This time, they raced past immense cliffs, admiring them from wide valleys or travelling along the edge of the precipices. As the route headed east for the second part of the special, sand was predominant: on fast tracks or on vast expanses lacking in any relief. As they reach Haradh, they will also approach the “Empty Quarter”, which makes up the programme of the forthcoming two-day marathon stage.

January 15 th 2020 - 16:17 [GMT + 3] Has Joan Barreda taken too much time to hit top pace? The Spaniard won his first special of the year after several good stages in previous days and could pay for his over-cautious first week of the rally. This is in stark contrast with his Honda team-mate Ricky Brabec, who was quick to build up a healthy lead over the pack, which he continues to maintain stage after stage. The same attitude was adopted to date by Ignacio Casale before the Chilean’s navigational failure on stage ten, which cost him a considerable portion of his lead over Simon Vitse, leaving the spotlight to Polish rider Kamil Wiśniewski, who won the day’s special. Carlos Sainz scored a double whammy by winning the stage and especially taking advantage of the navigation mistakes made by Stéphane Peterhansel and Nasser Al-Attiyah, to regain breathing space in the general standings. With a lead that now stands at 18 minutes, El Matador will be able to see his rivals coming. This is also the case for Casey Currie, who moved further ahead in the general standings following the difficulties of Chaleco López, with the stage victory going to rookie and Dakar Experience competitor Mitchell Guthrie. In the truck race, Anton Shibalov brought a halt to the series of wins by his Kamaz team-mate Andrey Karginov, without worrying the Russian who is heading for his second triumph on the Dakar.

January 16 th 2020 - 14:43 [GMT + 3] The Empty Quarter, a vast expanse almost as big as France, boasts long, unbroken successions of dunes stretching for 80 kilometres. In contrast with yesterday, when the prevailing winds messed with stage 10, the weather today made the terrain far more hospitable as the increased humidity meant fewer competitors got stuck. The return trip to Haradh was raced at a much higher pace. This area serves as the crossroads from which the Dakar will leave the Empty Quarter and set course for Riyadh and Qiddiya.

January 17 th 2020 - 13:48 [GMT + 3] The 42nd edition of the Dakar took competitors from the shores of the Red Sea in Jeddah, around the canyons and mountains of the western part of the country, over the dunes of the Empty Quarter and all the way to the Qiddiya Sports and Culture Complex near the capital Riyadh. In the end, American biker Ricky Brabec put an end to Honda's 31-year drought, Carlos Sainz took his third title in his third different car, Casey Currie gave America another reason to celebrate in the SSV race, Ignacio Casale took back the throne in quads and Andrey Karginov extended the victorious streak of the Kamaz trucks. 237 out of the 342 vehicles that started the rally in Jeddah (69.3%) appear in the final general classification: 96 motorbikes, 12 quads, 58 cars, 31 SSVs and 40 trucks. A further 19 vehicles withdrew from the race but reached Qiddiya under Dakar Experience rules.