There are things money will never buy, and Saudi driver Yazeed Al Rajhi—billionaire, Toyota icon, and winner of the 2025 Dakar—knows this intimately. With his family’s vast economic power, he could acquire nearly anything he desires, except the only currency that matters in the world’s most punishing rally: victory earned through grit, resilience and an unbreakable will. The original spirit of the Paris–Dakar remains intact after decades: an extreme adventure into the unknown, a global myth carefully preserved by the French organizers of A.S.O., who have guided this race across Africa, South America and now the Middle East.

The 2026 edition, the seventh to unfold across the Saudi desert, takes full advantage of a territory the Dakar now knows intimately. Rally director David Castera has shaped an 8,000-kilometer loop, including 4,900 against the clock, starting and finishing on the shores of the Red Sea in Yanbu. He describes this year’s route as one of the most complete and balanced he has ever created. Despite the weight of his responsibilities, Castera remains the architect of every detail, still performing reconnaissance himself. “It’s what I love most—the creative side of the rally. Finding unknown passages, mixing rocks and sand, surprising competitors, and keeping adventure alive.”

A total of 325 vehicles will line up on January 3: 118 motorcycles and 207 FIA-classified machines across every major category, from Ultimate and Challenger to SSV, Stock and the truck division. The Dakar Classic will again bring its own charm with 97 entries retracing history along a 7,348-kilometer route. It is a caravan that embodies both tradition and the unrelenting growth of the rally-raid world.

The essence of the Dakar—extreme stages, treacherous navigation, endless stretches of sand and breathtaking landscapes—remains untouched. Yet 2026 introduces significant innovations. Midway through the first week, marathon stages return in a renewed form, sending competitors into essential bivouacs with no external assistance. They will sleep under basic shelter, depending only on their own skills and the solidarity of fellow racers. Stage 7, the longest of the rally with 925 kilometers including 336 of special stage, will be the decisive test before the well-earned rest day in Riyadh. Afterward, the route pushes toward Wadi Ad-Dawasir, where a second marathon stage awaits, styled as a “refuge,” with completely separate routes for motorcycles and cars. The final days, stretching from Bisha to Al Henakiyah, promise a masterclass in navigation and the sort of late drama for which this rally is famous. In the Dakar, a single grain of sand can still change everything.

In a surprising twist, the 2026 route does not include the Empty Quarter, that vast sea of dunes that has shaped so many memorable moments in recent editions. But the challenge will be no less severe. Saudi Arabia’s natural terrain—its dunes, sharp stone formations and unforgiving sandy plateaus—will test even the strongest machines and most seasoned crews. Castera describes this edition as “a Dakar of maturity.” Since 2019 he has revolutionized the rally with innovations such as colored and then electronic roadbooks, the 48-Hour Chrono, split routes for safety, the Dakar Classic and the experimental Mission 1000. This year, he says, is about refining experience rather than reinventing everything. The two “refuge marathon” stages reconnect the rally to its origins, when competitors ventured into the desert as true adventurers without the safety net of modern assistance teams. The separate routes for cars and motorcycles, while complicating the work of the roadbook crews, will make the car race more intriguing and the rally as a whole safer.

On the competitive front, the battle for victory is shaping up to be exceptional. In the car category, Yazeed Al Rajhi returns to defend his crown, but within Toyota he will face fierce competition from the talented South African Henk Lategan. Ford arrives with a formidable lineup featuring Carlos Sainz Sr., Mattias Ekström, Nani Roma and Mitch Guthrie, all determined to fight for the top step. Dacia strengthens its ambitions as well, retaining Nasser Al-Attiyah, Sébastien Loeb and Cristina Gutiérrez, and adding newly crowned rally-raid world champion Lucas Moraes. There is also the much-anticipated return of Stéphane Peterhansel—Mr. Dakar—debuting the new Defender in the T2 category. “It won’t be easy; we must stay humble,” he admits. “But I will bring all my experience.”

The motorcycle category promises a duel at the highest level. KTM enters as the team to beat after a flawless season from Daniel Sanders, winner of both the Dakar and the Rally-Raid World Championship. Honda is eager to challenge, buoyed by Tosha Schareina’s triumph in Morocco, the raw speed of Ricky Brabec and the experience of Adrien Van Beveren. Hero Motorsports will also be in contention with Ross Branch, 2024 runner-up, alongside the skilled navigator Ignacio Cornejo and rising star Tobias Ebster.

Looking beyond the present, Dakar 2026 also pushes decisively toward the future. Mission 1000, the laboratory for emerging green technologies, returns for its third edition with seven fully electric motorcycles and a hybrid truck powered by hydrogen and biodiesel. The Segway machines come back with improved battery systems, while the Spanish “Arctic Leopards” and the latest Stark Future bikes continue to symbolize the electric revolution in the desert. The KH7 hybrid truck, now an icon of Dakar sustainability, resumes its pioneering role in this evolving landscape.

With its renewed marathon spirit, refined navigation challenges, star-studded entry list and an 8,000-kilometer route that blends beauty with brutality, Dakar 2026 stands ready to reaffirm its legend. Adventure, discovery and the relentless pull of the unknown remain the soul of this extraordinary race. And once again, the world will watch as competitors attempt to conquer what many still call the greatest motorsport adventure on Earth.