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Dakar Rally 2027 will not be held in Saudi Arabia, organisers say
Organisers said the race will still run in January and return to Saudi Arabia in 2028 for its 50th edition.
On Sunday, Amaury Sport Organisation and Saudi Motorsport Company announced the 2027 Dakar Rally will not take place in Saudi Arabia, citing the prevailing geopolitical situation in the Middle East.
Recent attacks by Iran-backed Houthis on the Riyadh Airport have made Saudi Arabia's security environment precarious, forcing relocation of an event held in the Kingdom annually since 2020.
The 49th edition will proceed as scheduled from 1 to 15 January 2027, with organizers set to announce the new location in the coming days.
ASO is in direct contact with competitors to support them through the transition, while Formula 1 and MotoGP maintain their scheduled races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Organizers confirmed the relocation is "exceptional and one-off," with the Dakar Rally set to return to Saudi Arabia in 2028 to celebrate the event's 50th edition.
FIA announced the transfer of Rally Dakar 2027 competitions to another country instead of Saudi Arabia, against the backdrop of recent developments in the region.
The Rally Dakar, one of the toughest and most well-known off-road races in the world, next year will not be held in Saudi Arabia, due to what the organizers call recent developments in the region. The rally, initially scheduled for January, will now take place in another territory of the region, which will be announced later for [...] The article La Rally Dakar 2027 will not run in Saudi Arabia: tensions in Riad change plans. Possible return to …