No Saudi Dakar In 2027
T
he 2027 Dakar Rally will not
be held in Saudi Arabia early
next year after "recent devel-
opments" in the region have
deemed it unsafe. Riyadh's King
Khalid International Airport, the
country's main hub, was struck
by Houthi missiles on October 10
and 10 people were killed. The air-
port reopened this past weekend
following a two-week shutdown.
The rally's organizers (Amaury
Sport Organization) and Saudi
Motorsport Company (SMC) say
the race will still take place, but in
a different country and not on the
originally planned dates of Janu-
ary 1-15, 2027. A new location
has yet to be announced.
"This decision is exceptional
and one-off and was taken in
close coordination with the Saudi
Automobile and Motorcycle Fed-
eration (SAMF) and with the sup-
port of the FIA and the FIM," the
ASO said in a statement. "Dakar
2027 will go ahead. The 2027 edi-
tion will take place in a different
territory and will be organized by
ASO. The location will be an-
nounced separately in the coming
days. ASO is in direct contact with
competitors, teams and partners
to support them through this
transition. Saudi Arabia will host
Dakar 2028, a landmark edition
celebrating the 50th running of
the rally. Both organizations are
already working together to make
this milestone an exceptional
moment for the Dakar and for the
Kingdom, with a shared commit-
ment to once again deliver an
iconic and world-class event to
the highest of standards."
Saudi Arabia has hosted
seven consecutive editions of
Dakar since 2020.
CN
WIND
IN THE
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The 2027 Dakar Rally will not be held in Saudi Arabia, although a new location has yet to be announced.
