New 2021 Dakar Rally route in Saudi Arabia unveiled

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Sports unveiled on Thursday the details of the second edition of Dakar Rally to be held in the Kingdom.

The historic 12-day marathon, which is scheduled to run from Jan. 3-15, will start and finish in Jeddah after venturing through the desert and along the Rea Sea.

The announcement of the 2021 event was made during a virtual press conference in the presence of Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al-Faisal, the minister of sports and Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, the president of Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation.

Commenting on the occasion, the minister expressed his happiness, saying that Saudi Arabia will host this great international event for the second time after the distinguished success achieved in its first edition.

The 2021 version of the rally will take participants into uncharted territory, with all timed sections of the loop course brand new to the race.

Competitors will set off from Jeddah toward the east and then head north, with a rest day in Ha'il on Jan. 9, before tracing the Red Sea coastline back to the finish.

Following the deaths of two motorcyclists, Portugal's Paulo Goncalves and Dutchman Edwin Straver, on this year's rally, new safety measures will be introduced in 2021.