For the third year in a row, the Dakar will take place entirely in Saudi Arabia. The route, unveiled on Sunday November 28, has some similarities with the 2021 rally. For the competitors of this new edition, beautiful landscapes, dunes, canyons, marathon stage are on the program of a very generous menu. From Jeddah to Jeddah, find out what awaits the adventurers, who will start on January 1 for an arrival judged on January 14, 2022, to be followed live on France Télévisions.
Stage 1A – Saturday January 1st: Jeddah – Ha’il (834 kilometers)
After three days of checks in Jeddah, the drivers will set off from the same port city on Saturday January 1st. For this first stage divided in two, the special will last only 19 kilometers, against 815 kilometers of connection to reach Ha’il.
Stage 1B – Sunday January 2: Ha’il – Ha’il (546 kilometers in total)
The second part of this stage loops around Ha’il, in a mountainous setting. This will be a first opportunity to discover the contrasts of landscapes offered by Saudi Arabia. 546 kilometers of sand are on the program, mainly in the form of tracks for the moment. The first navigation difficulties are on the program.
Stage 2 – Monday January 3: Ha’il – Al Artawaiyah (585 kilometers)
After three days spent around Ha’il, the pilots will set off in the first dunes of the rally. Decisive cords to set the general tone of the rally and bring out the contenders who are likely to play the leading roles. In the evening, only assistance between pilots and crews registered in the race will be authorized on the work park, in this first day of a marathon stage. Watch out for scrapping.
Stage 3 – Tuesday January 4: Al Artawiyah – Al Qaisumah (554 kilometers)
From Al Artawiyah, the pilots will head east, approaching the borders of Kuwait and Iraq. On this new stage in the desert, they will cover 554 kilometers, 368 of special and 186 of liaison. The second part of the race will be more rolling and technically affordable. Having managed your machine well the day before can be an asset, on a stage where you have to be wary of crossings of tracks, which are the source of many “gardening”.
Stage 4 – Wednesday January 5: Al Qaisumah – Riyadh (707 kilometers)
Head south for the fourth stage. It is the longest special of this rally: 465km on the program. The first highlight for the competitors. 707 kilometers separate Al Qaisumah from the capital, Riyadh, where the rally stops for two days. A portion of a rolling track of nearly 200 kilometers, then a stage center made up of dunes of random sizes, and a rocky finish, in particular when it comes to stringing wadis crossings.
Stage 5 – Thursday January 6: Riyadh – Riyadh (563 kilometers)
It is the shorter of the two stages as a loop around Riyadh. The start of the day will be marked by dirt and pebble tracks. A long stretch of dunes of nearly 80 kilometers will follow. Enough to create great differences.
Stage 6 – Friday January 7 Riyadh – Riyah (635 kilometers)
After the east the day before, it is to the west of the capital that the pilots will make a loop of 635 kilometers, including 421 of special. The dunes of the day will appear in the middle of the program with around forty kilometers of ergs. The final is rolling. The next day, the pilots are resting in Riyadh.
Stage 7 – Sunday January 9 Riyadh – Al Dawadimi (700 kilometers)
This is one of the novelties of this Dakar 2022: a still unexplored region. The discovery of the place will pass through a hundred kilometers of dunes at the beginning, without the slightest respite. Driving will then be easier on the last part of the stage, but navigation will be crucial, for a total of 700 kilometers.
Stage 8 – Monday January 10 Al Dawadimi – Wadi Ad-Dawasir (828 kilometers)
This is the longest day of this Dakar 2022. In addition to the 394 kilometers of special, there are 434 kilometers of liaison. The first 200 kilometers of the special will be marked by sand and dunes, alternating from one valley to another. The landscapes will change at the end of the day, which could turn into the beginning of the night as the length of the stage could delay the competitors.
Stage 9 – Tuesday January 11: Wadi Ad-Dawasir – Wadi Ad-Dawasir (490 kilometers)
For the third time in the rally, the stage will rally one and the same city at the finish and at the start. The start of the day will be given later than the others, to take into account the difficulty of the 8th stage. If there will be less sand than the previous days, the mountains as well as the trails winding between the canyons will be there.
Stage 10 Wednesday January 12: Wadi Ad-Dawasir – Bisha (757 kilometers)
After the mountainous massifs of the center of the country, the Dakar takes the road of the Asir province, where Bisha is located. In total, 757 kilometers are on the program. The driving conditions helping, the speed should be high. Be careful though with the many crossings of the track. The landscapes will be breathtaking, if the crews can take the time to enjoy them.
Stage 11 – Thursday January 13: Bisha – Bisha (500 kilometers)
In the southwest of Saudi Arabia, this last loop will surely be decisive. It will represent a technical challenge for the pilots, who are immersed in the dunes half the time. Around Bisha, the drivers will drive 500 kilometers, including 345 kilometers of special.
Stage 12 – Friday January 14: Bisha – Jeddah (676 kilometers)
Last year, the stage between Jeddah and Bisha was the second of the Dakar. This will be the last year this year and will take the pilots from land to coast, via long routes. If there will be no more dunes, sand will still cover most of the trails. Lots of connections before reaching the shores of the Red Sea and ending this edition.